


Promises, Promises

by NoirSongbird



Series: Once Upon A Dream [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: AU, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Biting, Force-Sensitive Hux, Glove Kink, Hand Jobs, Kinda, M/M, Of sorts?, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Rough Sex, Shower Sex, Uniform Kink, every time i write a porny chapter, i don't even know what i'm doing, maybe?? - Freeform, soulmate situation??, this thing gets more tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-13 05:02:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 31,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5695981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoirSongbird/pseuds/NoirSongbird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The whispers of the Dark Side did not just include promises of power. For Ben Solo, they also include promises of a handsome stranger. </p><p>Or: A very literal take on the idea of "seduction" by the Dark Side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this mess happened because I was joking with a friend about "seduction" by the Dark Side and it got out of hand.
> 
> Please enjoy my first fanfic offering on AO3, and my first publicly posted non-RP fanfic offering in many, many years.
> 
> Rating for later chapters, because I know myself, and I know there will be porn.

Ben had thought he was well and used to the tempting whispers of the Dark Side. They spoke of _secrets_ and _power_ and they were, for the most part, easy enough to ignore. He had been shoving them aside for as long as he could remember, and at fifteen, he felt well and capable of managing their allure.  
  
If he ever felt the pull too strongly, if the whispers that promised _powersecretspassionfreedom_ ever got too loud, he could always trust that time spent with Uncle Luke - _Master_ Luke, properly, really, but he never minded when Ben called him _uncle_ \- would help him meditate them away.

These were, ah, not the type of Dark Side whisperings he was used to. They were also not the type of whisperings he was comfortable speaking to his uncle about.

He would have thought they were just dreams, except they felt so utterly, agonizingly real. Visions of a boy his age, with red hair and green eyes and rigid military posture.

He was getting glimpses, he realized after the first few, of this boy’s life. They were simple enough at first - a few moments of him at what must have been some kind of military academy, watching with rapt attention through lessons and moving with incredible efficiency through practical drills.

And then they had become more intimate, and the dreams that Ben could not (did not want to) control began to feel almost invasive, because without ever meeting him face to face, without even knowing his first name, he had seen him curled in bed with a book, or stargazing - private moments that Ben wouldn’t even have been aware of if not for these Force-brought dreams.

And always they came with the promise - _come to the Dark, he is waiting._

No, these were not the kind of whispers he could speak about with Uncle Luke.

They were also the most agonizingly tempting. Power, he didn’t need. He was already safe and happy and comfortable, and his Jedi training was plenty of power for him. Secrets? Whatever secrets the Dark Side could offer, he was pretty sure he didn’t want them.

But the whispered temptations and promises of a handsome stranger, half a galaxy away? (He had gotten curious, looked up the insignia he had seen once or twice on the boy’s uniform, connected it to something called the “First Order,” one of a dozen Imperial remnant factions, who had disappeared into the Unknown Regions) Those stuck.

They were the foothold, Ben would realize later -- too much later, long after he had stopped caring.

Because the dreams didn’t stop, and neither did the pull. The longer he trained, the more he failed at controlling his emotions, the stronger the pull got.

Uncle Luke insisted he just needed to practice more, to rein in his feelings, but he _couldn’t,_ and it meant that his finesse with the Force lagged behind even the younger apprentices.

It made him, increasingly, bitter. Angry. At himself, mostly. He was _failing,_ horrendously, and his Force powers were lashing out uncontrollably. He saw the stares, felt his uncle’s disappointment (and concern, because Luke was concerned, and he tried, but it just wasn’t enough.)

In the end, his emotions were the end of him.

It was an accident, but not the kind that one simply apologized for. One of the other students, Rigil, older - but not by much - than Ben, had challenged him to a practice duel.

In front of the other students.

Uncle Luke would never have approved, but Uncle Luke had to make an emergency visit to Ben’s parents. Uncle Luke had way too much faith in people, because someone with less would have babysat a group of Force-powerful children.

(Ben sort of dimly hated Uncle Luke, right then, because he knew half the reason the sneers were so bad was because he was _Luke Skywalker’s nephew_ and still a failure.)

“Come on, Benny,” his opponent taunted, swinging the practice stick he was using instead of a lightsaber. “Or are you afraid to fight when your uncle can’t swoop in and save you?”

“I don’t need him to save me from anything,” Ben snapped, and he launched forward, bringing his stick around in a heavy blow. (He had watched old vids of his grandfather in combat and studied them closely, and he found himself almost immediately falling into the routines he had imitated so often.)

“Then why’re you in his office so much? Got something else you’re worried about?” Rigil mocked. He was keeping up with Ben, matching him blow for blow.

“What are you getting at?” Ben growled. Somewhere, something rattled. He tried to ignore it.

“That you’re more like your grandfather than your uncle,” Rigil said. “I heard Darth Vader was nuts, murdered people just for looking at him wrong --”

“ _Anakin Skywalker_ was a hero!” Ben snarled, and he launched into a more frenzied, furious attack. “Don’t talk about him that way!”

The rattling was louder, and there was an angry roaring in Ben’s ears. He tried to push it down, to focus on anything but his anger, but --

“Yeah, and then he went nuts and murdered a shitload of people. That gonna be you, Ben? Gonna come back here and slaughter us all, soemday, ‘cause your parents didn’t love you enough?”

Ben’s anger won. He swung his practice stick, lashed out with the Force, and sent Rigil flying.

He _felt_ Rigil’s neck snap when he hit the far wall. Didn’t have to look to see the horror on his classmates’ faces, because he could _feel_ it rolling off them in waves.

Ben dropped his practice stick and ran, panic rising in his chest and fear taking over for anger.

How Snoke found him, hiding in the Dagobah swamps alone and scared, Ben wasn’t sure. All he knew was that Snoke told him he had taken the first steps, that he would be great like his grandfather - but that he was not destined for the path of the Light.

He had to embrace _Vader,_ not _Anakin._ And part of Ben thought...that if that was what they expected him to be anyway, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to embrace it.

Besides, there was the dreamed promise of a handsome stranger with a rich voice and bright eyes and Ben _wanted._  
  
When he returned as Kylo Ren, masked and cloaked and flanked by his Knights of Ren, not a single death in the temple was anything even close to an accident.


	2. Chapter 2

When the boy who would grow into General Hux, proud commander of Starkiller Base, first dreamt of a pale stranger training as a Jedi, he was studying as a cadet at the First Order’s Officer Academy.

He was, unfortunately for himself, not just another cadet - his father was the Commandant, after all, which meant living up to certain...expectations.

Brendol Hux II was to be the top of his class in all things, was to be perfect and precise, absolutely did not have time to be mooning after strange boys who appeared in his dreams.

Hux - because he despised his first name as much as he despised his monster of a father, preferred his surname by far - mooned anyway. What was he supposed to do  _ but  _ moon, when presented with long waves of dark hair and deep brown eyes and perfect long eyelashes? With a  _ Jedi,  _ or a Jedi apprentice at least - the voice that wound through the dreams (which sounded, suspiciously, like  _ Snoke,  _ the strange and powerful patron who had begun to back the First Order) never specified, but he had seen his stranger practicing with the Force and, once, memorably, with a lightsaber. 

There was a promise with every dream.

_ One day he will belong to the Dark, and he will belong to you. _

It was a strange thing to hold onto. A creepy thing, were he being entirely honest, because he didn’t even know the boy’s name.

He held onto it anyway, because he had few things to hold onto except for a promise of power and just enough sensitivity to the Force for it to be useful in combat and tactics. Not enough to be noticed, and certainly nowhere near enough for Hux to be pressed into the Knights of Ren, for which he was grateful, because by his understanding their training was, somehow, even worse than what the First Order’s rebuilt Academy put students through.

Hux knew the other students eyed him enviously, but he refused to let it bother him. Yes, he was the Commandant’s son, but no one was going to claim that he was top of the class by anything but his own merit. His marksmanship in particular was absolutely exemplary - one of his favorite applications of his mostly-latent Force sensitivity - and he displayed a brilliant grasp of the movements of troops and the necessity of planning.

So Brendol Hux II was trained as a sniper and a tactician, because he was a  _ Hux,  _ and he was going to be a General someday.

When he graduated the Academy and was able to enter active service, Hux was a  _ nightmare  _ on the battlefield. He rarely engaged in active combat - that wasn’t his specialty - but from a well-concealed nest, between his own keen eye and a little nudging from the Force, Hux could take down enemy officers and - once, memorably - an entire X-wing, with a particularly precisely placed shot. 

He picked up the name “Red Death,” among his squad - a joke about his hair color, at first, but a genuine appellation of respect after he proved himself capable in combat.

He earned the promotion that took him off the battlefield and into command, ironically, for demonstrating extreme skill  _ on  _ it.

Most people assumed that stories of Hux making a 3800-meter sniper shot to clinch a victory on Eotis, by virtue of being  _ borderline impossible,  _ were an exaggeration.

They were not.

Anyone without his Force sensitivity could not have done it, and that was what, finally, brought him to the dubiously-flattering attentions of Supreme Leader Snoke. Meeting the man face to...well, hologram had been a transformative experience. 

“Captain Hux,” Snoke’s voice was smooth, interested, “I have heard the most interesting tales of your accomplishments.”

“I’m sure many of them are exaggerations, Supreme Leader,” Hux deferred.

“But I know them not to be.” Snoke said, firmly. “You have a gift, Captain - you would do well not to waste it.  _ I  _ would prefer that you not continue to waste it.”

“Supreme Leader?” Hux wasn’t entirely sure why he felt a cold chill crawling up his back, but it definitely felt like Snoke was looking through him, seeing all his secrets laid out.

Snoke was a powerful master of the Dark Side of the Force - at least, that was what the rumors claimed. Hux was inclined to believe them. Even though the Supreme Leader was in some strange dark corner of the Unknown Regions, far from the communications suite of the  _ Raptor,  _ Hux swore he could feel Snoke’s presence, could feel him peeling away at Hux’s careful walls.

“You are in touch with the Force, Captain. I can feel it. And I would see you advance in the ranks, and refine your talent. You may never be a wielder, but you will still be a fine General someday.”

It felt like a promise, and like something that Hux needed to live up to. Another set of expectations - but he was by then well and used to managing those. 

It was a rapid climb after that, because with Snoke nudging him up the ranks and his own demonstrations that his tactical skill was as precise and strong as his skill with a sniper rifle. His expansions on his father’s Stormtrooper training programs, in particular, made for excellent soldiers, with no need for the expense and infrastructure to support a clone army.

At not-quite-even-thirty, he was a General, in command of a starship. The  _ Finalizer  _ was his pride and joy, a nearly 3000-meter  _ Resurgent- _ class starship, the finest in the First Order’s military.  
  
And the entire time, he dreamed of a boy - a man, really, as time went on - with black hair and dark eyes and a crackling command of the Force, and he wondered, sometimes, if he was going a little mad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BECAUSE I HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO SHOW MY WORK, the longest recorded sniper shot currently is 2475 meters! The extra 1300 meters Hux managed is accounted for partially by advanced tech and partially by Hux's Force skills. (That's totally how the Force works, right?)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to take a brief moment to thank everyone who has left comments and kudos on the fic so far! YOU ARE ALL GIVING ME THE BIGGEST CASE OF WARM FUZZIES and are a big motivation for me to keep writing this fic at the pace I am!  
> Also, if you happen to desire interaction with me on tumblr, come find me at songstressfox.tumblr.com and enjoy my messy multifandom blog!

When General Hux first met Kylo Ren face to face - or face to helmet, as it was - he was not, entirely, pleased to have the man on the  _ Finalizer. His  _ ship, which he had  _ earned  _ the command of, did  _ not  _ need the extra supervision of the Master of the Knights of Ren. It felt like a test, the purpose of which was inscrutable.  


Snoke was fond of those, Hux had learned. Hux, himself, was not. He was even less fond of what he’d heard of the Knights of Ren - devastating on the battlefield, certainly, but unpredictable, and the stories said Kylo Ren was the worst of the lot, given to fits of emotion. 

Hux vastly disliked things that were unpredictable.

It wasn’t as if he had much of a choice regarding the matter, really, and so he waited in the hangar bay for the arrival of Kylo Ren’s personal shuttle.

It was an  _ Upsilon _ -class, ridiculously dramatic as those tended to be. Hux wasn’t fond of the fold-up wing design, but the shape was reminiscent of Vader’s old shuttle, and he suspected the Master of the Knights of Ren purposely intended to draw the parallel.

He was not sure what to expect, really, from a Sith lord - or whatever Ren was - but the needless dramatics of his shuttle were echoed in the needless dramatics of his entrance. The ramp descended, and Kylo Ren stepped down it in a flurry of black cloak and trailing jacket. His face was wholly obscured by a black mask, and Hux found himself instantly despising the thing. Watching someone’s face was an important part of gauging them - Ren kept his hidden. Perhaps to negate that, perhaps because he was disfigured as Sith were said to be. Hux didn’t really care why, all he cared about was that it existed and complicated his life.

“General,” Ren greeted, and it was clearly heavily modulated - so reading his tone, too, was compromised, it seemed. 

“Lord Ren,” Hux said smoothly, keeping his expression schooled, “welcome to the  _ Finalizer. _ ”

He could  _ feel  _ Ren examining him, and he remembered another reason he really didn’t want a Knight of Ren anywhere near him, and certainly not  _ with run of his damn ship - _ because surely if anyone was going to recognize his connection to the Force, it would be a trained wielder. Kylo Ren had to know. Hux was not sure he  _ liked  _ that Kylo Ren knew, though it was possible the man had been made aware by Snoke before his arrival. Ren was supposed to be the Supreme Leader’s direct apprentice. He definitely did not like the feeling of being laid bare before a being whose face he couldn’t even see.

“We will have to speak later,” the man said, “in private. The Supreme Leader has orders, to be relayed directly to you.” Hux allowed himself a little relief, then - at least Ren had enough discretion not to say anything in front of a hangar full of Troopers.

“Of course, Lord Ren.” Hux agreed easily. “My men will show you to your quarters.” Ren gave a sharp nod and swept off, and the two Troopers assigned to escort him practically tripped trying to catch up. Hux waited a moment, and then swept off himself, to go back to his quarters.

If there was ever a time for a drink, it was probably then.

 

******

 

As soon as he got to the quarters he had been assigned on the  _ Finalizer,  _ sending the Trooper escort away with barely a flick of his will, Kylo swept off his helmet and deposited it on the table that was one of the few furnishings in the room. He had been glad for it when he was first meeting Hux, because he knew that he had absolutely zero capability to keep his face calm and schooled, but once he was alone it felt stiflingly uncomfortable.

A hand pushed through his hair, and Kylo swore softly under his breath. 

Meeting General Hux hand included two...not altogether unpleasant surprises. 

First, Hux was Force-sensitive. He could tell - could feel the way the Force moved around the General. Snoke must have known, surely; he would trust no one else with the projects Ren was bringing to Hux.  


Undeniably, that made Hux an invaluable asset. No wonder he had risen so rapidly after the attack on Eotis - he must have caught Snoke’s attention, and the Supreme Leader had facilitated his rise.

Fine, so Hux was not only an able and competent commander, he had some skill with and awareness of the Force. That, Kylo could deal with. Could even make something of, if Hux was willing to work with him. And if he could make it through working with Hux without making a complete and utter idiot of himself.  


Second, he  _ knew  _ Hux. Knew his face, at least - and his hair, and his smile, or at least the smile of a younger Hux. Because he had been dreaming of Hux since he was sixteen. Because Hux was the gift the Dark had promised him.

Kylo slowly sank to the floor, back resting against the table, and buried his face in his hands, letting out a long, frustrated sigh.

“This is ridiculous,” he grumbled to himself, because it  _ was.  _

He had given up on ever finding the man he had been dreaming of - still dreamed of, sometimes, though not with anywhere near the same frequency as when he was younger and still needed to be tempted to open up to the Dark - because it felt like the sort of ridiculous fantasy that happened in children’s tales. He certainly couldn’t exactly  _ tell  _ Hux so; he had felt the man’s displeasure with his presence radiating off him. 

What would he say, anyway? “I think the Force wanted us to meet”? “I’ve been dreaming of you for years”?

Yes, surely, that would go over absolutely  _ swimmingly  _ with the severe, controlled General. He was infinitely glad Hux hadn’t been able to see his face; it had been writ with surprise. He  _ hoped  _ Hux wasn’t proficient enough with the Force to have somehow sensed his increased heart rate, how his face had flushed and he had suddenly felt both uncomfortably hot and uncomfortably cold at once.

“Fuck this,” he said, under his breath.

Working with Hux was going to be  _ interesting.  _

And by “interesting,” Kylo was pretty sure he meant “a special circle of hell.”


	4. Chapter 4

Kylo finally peeled himself off the ground. He _would_ have to have that conversation with Hux, in private, no matter how little he wanted to face the man and deal with the roiling turmoil of his feelings - because he needed to suss out exactly how much familiarity the man had with the Force. Was he using it unconsciously, or did he know what was helping him?

... _How_ was it helping him? How powerful was General Hux with the Force? So many questions, and he would only be able to receive answers from the man himself.

He found the comlink in his suite easily enough, and flicked it on voice-only - he was not quite ready for Hux to see his face, and going to get his helmet for a brief com-call seemed ridiculous. He was aware he looked young; it tended to undermine his authority. His preference was not to undermine himself with General Hux so soon.

“General,” he said smoothly, when Hux picked up, “I was curious if there was somewhere you knew of where we could talk.”

There was a pause. He wondered if Hux was considering options.

“There is a small conference room, near the officers’ mess - no one should be there.” Hux said finally.

“Wait for me there,” Kylo said, “I’ll find you.”

When the call ended, Hux was frowning into his glass of Corellian brandy. Ren’s voice had lacked the modulation of his helmet - the General wondered if that was why he had stuck strictly to voice communication.

Obviously, Kylo Ren was very insistent about keeping his face hidden.

He sighed and stood up, leaving the drink on the table. Showing up to meet Ren with alcohol on his breath would make for a poor impression, assuming Ren could smell through that mask. And Hux couldn’t discount the possibility that Ren would be, somehow, able to sense it on him.

So, no, no drink until after he’d spoken with Ren. He would probably need it more then, anyway.

He stuck the glass into his personal refrigeration unit, and then strode out of his quarters and to the conference room he had suggested with all the surety and command presence with which he did everything on his ship.

He had to wait for Ren, but not for long. Whether the man had been without his helmet for their com conversation or not, he had it back on, and Hux felt an uncomfortable prickling on the back of his neck, like he was being examined. Again. Damn it all, he wished he could see Ren’s eyes, to know where he was staring.

As soon as Ren swept in, the door shut and, Hux realized, locked.

“We will not be overheard or interrupted,” Ren said, and then he sat himself on the table, head tilted to the side as he studied Hux. The General didn’t need to see his eyes to know that was what was happening, at least.

It was an interesting effect, with the mask - Kylo Ren ought to be intimidating, but the idle posture ruined it.

“What is it you wanted to speak about?” Hux asked, direct and sure.

“Several things,” Ren replied. “How long have you been aware of your connection to the Force?”

Of course he wanted to ask about that. Why _wouldn’t_ it be about that. It _had_ to be the most inconvenient, uncomfortable subject possible.

“Quite some time,” Hux confessed. “Since I was first training as an officer - few others have noticed it. As far as I am aware, the only people who know are Supreme Leader Snoke and,” a brief half smile, “now you, Lord Ren.”

“You would be correct,” Ren acknowledged. Having heard his regular voice, Hux knew it was pitched down by the mask, and he had to wonder at the purpose of that. Intimidation, probably - the voice he had heard over the com was surprisingly soft and gentle for a Sith Lord, or whatever Ren was. “Snoke did not inform me before my arrival.”

That was interesting.

“Perhaps because he knew you would be able to discover it on your own.” Hux felt a burning need to pace, because he was rapidly becoming agitated, but he refused to allow that crack in his armor for Ren to potentially exploit.

“Perhaps,” Ren acknowledged, and then, smoothly, he slid off the table and stood, moving so he was circling Hux almost like a predator. Hux stood stock-still, well and used to evaluations. Perhaps not by potentially unstable lightsaber-wielding maniacs, but one made the best of one’s given circumstances. “What can you _do_ with it?”

“Small things,” Hux said. No reason not to give Ren some idea, he supposed. “It improves my focus. And my shooting.”

“I’ve read your dossiers. You have quite an impressive record as a sniper, General.” Hux couldn’t tell how much of a compliment that was meant to be. “Is that all?”

“My connection with the Force is not nearly as strong as yours, Lord Ren.” Let the title hang as a conciliatory gesture, or something, because Hux was absolutely not telling the whole truth, but he was nowhere near prepared to give Ren _everything_.

“Perhaps it can become stronger with proper cultivation,” Ren said, and Hux raised an interested eyebrow.

“Was that an offer?”

“It could be.” Ren said, and then he finally stilled in his prowling about the room. “For another time, perhaps. As I said, I bring orders directly from Snoke.”

“There’s no need for you to have carried orders in person,” Hux said, but obviously there was more to Ren’s presence on his ship than as Snoke’s messenger boy. The Master of the Knights of Ren did not play mailbird, Hux was sure of that.

“For these, there is.” Ren said, firmly. “You are being given two equally critical projects,” and now Hux was undeniably interested. “Snoke has reviewed your plans for a weapon to rival the Death Star. Starkiller, you called it?” Hux felt his pulse pick up. He had worked on the proposal for months, reviewed with engineers and logistics, considered every possibility. A planet-sized superweapon would rival anything the previous Empire had created. “He approves, and wishes construction to begin as soon as a suitable planet is found. I am to facilitate however I can.”

That was surprising. Hux wasn’t sure what use a Forceuser would be for an engineering project, but he wasn't going to look that type of gift over too closely. Not when he could begin to build the most massive weapon the galaxy had ever seen.

“I look forward to working with you, then,” Hux said, trying not to let too much of his excitement leak. It might not matter, Ren might feel it regardless.

“That isn’t all, unfortunately,” Ren said, and Hux could have sworn he detected a hint of dry humor in the man’s tone. “The second project is a bit more mine than yours, but I will require use of the _Finalizer_ and, occasionally, your troops.”

Hux wanted to sigh. Naturally, the tradeoff for getting to build his base was going to be ferrying Ren about. Well, surely it had to be important, or Snoke would not be using the _Finalizer_ for it.

“What is it, then?” He asked, a bit impatiently.

“I have discovered that a map - in pieces, but a map nonetheless - exists that will lead back to the first Jedi temple. And, I suspect, to the last living Jedi.” There was a strange affect in Ren’s voice that sent an uncomfortable chill up Hux’s back. “Finding and ending Luke Skywalker would please me to no end.”

So it was personal, somehow. But there was no denying the strategic value to executing the last Jedi - and he noted the certainty with which Ren stated Skywalker was the last. He wondered, then, if the rumors of Ren and his Knights slaughtering the rest were true. It seemed likely.

“You will have your resources,” Hux said. He could have sworn he _felt_ the grin that Ren was wearing under the mask.

“Excellent,” the Knight said. “And we will begin surveying planets for Starkiller tomorrow.”

“I have just the system in mind,” Hux said, as he strode towards the door. He inclined his head to Ren, before he stepped out. “I hope ours is a fruitful partnership.” 


	5. Chapter 5

Their partnership was not fruitful.

Not, at least, from Hux’s point of view.

Kylo Ren was wilful, sharp-tongued, and if Hux had any idea of where the man stood in the military hierarchy of the First Order, he would say he was insubordinate. It took far longer to find an acceptable planet for Starkiller Base than it should have because Ren seemed insistent on making the process as aggravating as possible. He dismissed viable candidates based on little more than unsubstantiated “feelings” (an unfortunate habit that made Hux glad he wasn’t more Force-sensitive, because it seemed to lead to massively unproductive flights of whimsy) - and Snoke  _ listened  _ to him, indulged him really, and so no planet would be acceptable until it had the goddamn Kylo Ren Seal of Approval.

Never mind that time spent on his wild goose chase for pieces of some mysterious map to Skywalker. Hux was starting to want to strangle the Jedi master with his own hands, as retribution for the sheer frustration of seeking out his trail. So far there had been nothing but false leads, which did not at all improve Ren’s disposition. And every time -  _ every damned time -  _ Ren arrived back on  _ Hux’s _ ship and destroyed some part of it.

This time, he was chasing Ren down for blowing through a security suite with that damned lightsaber of his. Apparently, the man had moved onto one of the training rooms, throwing out a squad of Stormtroopers - quite literally, and Hux was at least a little grateful that he had  _ only  _ tossed them out the door with his Force powers and not oh, wrung all of their necks, or sliced them into pieces, or something else in his fit of temper, because Troopers really were not infinitely replaceable - and proceeding to destroy his way through that. 

The door was locked, naturally. Hux tapped in his command override code, and it slid open, revealing Kylo Ren standing in the middle of a veritable graveyard of practice droids. His shoulders were heaving, and his lightsaber was still activated, crackling eerily as it tended to. The whole thing looked dangerously unstable, which felt like an effective metaphor for its owner. Hux let the door shut behind him and stood as tall as he could manage - Ren had a few inches on him, but he was not going to let himself be intimidated. 

“Ren.” His voice was sharp, the same tone he used while issuing orders on the bridge.

The Knight spun, deactivating his lightsaber - a surprise, but then, for all his angry flailing around and their mutual angry squabbles, Ren had yet to turn violence on Hux himself, so perhaps not so much - and stormed closer to Hux.

“What.” The modulator flattened out inflection, leaving just a theoretically-intimidating rumble.

“What do you  _ think,”  _ Hux snapped, and he held his gaze on where Ren’s eyes had to be. “You absolutely cannot continue doing this every time you experience a personal setback, Ren.  _ My ship  _ is not a large metal stress ball for you to take out your anger on.  _ My troops  _ are not to be flung around like so much detritus. You need to learn to  _ control yourself.” _

“And you know all about control, General.” Ren snarled, and there was definitely an edge to his voice.

“More than you, obviously,” Hux replied sharply. “Surely as much as the Dark Side might run on rage, it cannot be uncontrolled rage flung in every direction like a  _ child,”  _ and  _ that  _ got a reaction, because suddenly Ren was reaching for his helmet and disengaging it, tossing it aside like it weighed nothing (but the heavy  _ thunk  _ it made upon hitting the ground said quite thoroughly otherwise) and then he was very much in Hux’s space, still obviously furious.

“You know  _ nothing  _ of the Dark Side,  _ nothing  _ of how it works, you -” Something stopped Ren in his tracks, and Hux had the nagging feeling it was his own expression, because staring into Ren’s eyes, he realized that he  _ knew  _ the face hidden under Ren’s mask. It wasn’t the disfigured countenance of the Sith of old - no, it was handsome and boyish and  _ damned familiar,  _ and suddenly Hux wanted to be anywhere but in Ren’s presence.

“Learn control, Ren, or if you cannot do that,  _ stop taking apart my ship.”  _ He hoped his voice remained steady, because he was not entirely sure. And for the first time, Hux fled a confrontation with Kylo Ren, hoping his face was burning less badly than it felt like it was. 

General Hux, finest sniper in the First Order, hero of the conquest of Eotis, commander of the First Order’s flagship, did not  _ blush. _

But apparently Brendol Hux II, when confronted with the face of the man he’d been dreaming about since he was a teenager,  _ did.  _

Kylo was left behind in the training room, staring after Hux in abject confusion.

He was used to their confrontations, certainly. Hux had an iron will, he had a short temper - it was easy to rise to the General’s barbs, especially when he was already angry. But Hux’s reaction when he’d taken off his helmet -  _ that  _ had been completely unexpected. He had definitely never seen Hux flush before - and yet there had definitely been red creeping up his cheeks. 

At least now he had something to think about besides his embarrassing, frustrating,  _ rage-inducing  _ inability to find the damn map to his damn uncle so he could put a damn lightsaber through his chest and be done with one more obnoxious family attachment that called him back to the Light.

He called his helmet back over with the Force, sliding it back on, and stalked out of the training room. People got out of his way - good. People  _ should  _ be getting out of his way. He blew his way back to his quarters, discarded his helmet and outer robes, and strode into the meditation chamber he had set up. 

Generally, as a courtesy, he stayed out of Hux’s head. Rattling around his co-commander’s thoughts was not, he suspected, going to improve their working relationship, especially since any sort of intense intrusion would be noticed immediately. The downside, in a way, to working alongside someone else Force-sensitive. And despite how quickly he rose to Hux’s taunts, he  _ did  _ want to improve it. Maybe. Probably. 

But now he was agonizingly curious -  _ confused,  _ moreover - and he absolutely had to know what had made Hux react like that to seeing his face. So he sat down and started breathing exercises to get into a meditative trance, so he could reach out across the ship to Hux. 

When he was doing this to extract information, it was rough and painful, but a skim of surface thoughts was rarely even detectable. Hux shouldn’t even realize Kylo was gently pressing into his mind. Hopefully.

He was not prepared for what he found - because it was obviously on Hux’s mind, so shortly after their confrontation. A swimming bundle of images, of a young Kylo Ren - some were  _ Ben Solo,  _ properly, but Kylo hadn’t gone by that name in a long time and didn’t  _ want to  _ \- and an overarching aching  _ longing,  _ though it was tinged with frustration and confusion _. _

Kylo jolted out of his trance, feeling his own face heat up. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who had been promised something by the Dark - and he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with this new information. Talk to Hux, maybe, because he couldn’t exactly  _ sit  _ on this information. 

Kylo exhaled and stood. Yes, that was really the only possible solution - no matter how anxious the thought of confronting Hux about their strange connection made him. 

He swept out of his quarters, not bothering to pull back on the discarded cloak and helmet. If he was going to speak to Hux about something so personal, he was going to do it face to face, and damn the consequences.

He could feel eyes on him as he made the (thankfully) short trip from his quarters to the General’s, where he could still feel Hux’s Force-presence. He rapped on the door, surprisingly politely for, well, himself.

“Hux. We need to talk.”

The door opened, and he stepped inside.

“I felt you,” Hux said, from his seat at the standard-issue desk in the front room, “rooting around in my head. You aren’t as subtle as you think you are, Ren.” Kylo flinched.

“I wasn’t...rooting around,” he said, and Hux gave him a distinctly dubious look, but gestured for him to sit in the only extra chair in the room. Hux’s quarters were fastidiously neat, in contrast to the lazily-maintained mess that was Kylo’s. He wondered if Hux cleaned it himself, or if he let a maintenance droid handle it - knowing Hux, he, like Kylo, refused to allow the droids into his quarters.

“You were definitely in there.” Hux said, and then he pressed a hand to his forehead. “I imagine you want to discuss what you found.”

Hux felt a little like he had been caught with his pants down, because he knew exactly what Ren had seen. It felt too intimate to share - and he wondered if Ren was disgusted or disturbed. 

“I had them too,” Ren said almost idly. “Dreams. Of you.” 

Hux inhaled sharply. He felt the blush creeping back up his skin, unsure what to make of Ren’s admission. 

Apparently Ren wasn’t done.

“They were the first temptation the Dark Side offered that I actually... _wanted,_ ” he confessed, and then suddenly Hux’s personal space was all full of Ren - who, with his outer layers discarded, looked less hulking and creepy and more generally gangly and youthful, even if Hux could see a promise of musculature - and Ren’s lips were on his and Hux was sighing into them, which was something he definitely had not done since he was at the Academy and young and much more foolish. All of his general objections to Ren’s existence still stood, he told himself, because Ren was still dramatic and temperamental and utterly obnoxious, but he kissed so _nicely,_ even if it was a little clumsy and inexperienced, and Hux wanted more. 

He reached up to tangle his fingers loosely in Ren’s hair - soft, surprisingly so for having been stuffed in that helmet - and leaned up out of his chair, and somehow that seemed to break the spell of the moment, because Ren was pulling back and blushing madly, and he stared at Hux with wide and slightly panicked eyes before bolting for the door.

Hux sank back into his chair and groaned.

Of  _ course  _ this was going to be intolerably difficult, because it was  _ Ren.  _

He stood up, pulled out that bottle of Corellian brandy, and poured himself what he considered a respectable-sized drink.

And then he kept pouring, because he had several hours before he had to be back on duty and dealing with Ren was going to put him in an early grave.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to thank everyone again for the amazing positive feedback. I'M SO GLAD YOU ALL ARE ENJOYING READING ABOUT THESE IDIOTS AS MUCH AS I AM ENJOYING WRITING THEM.

Kylo Ren was avoiding him. It seemed ridiculous to think, but there was absolutely no explanation for how else they had managed to be on the same damn Star Destroyer for two weeks and not run into each other once. Ren wasn’t out chasing leads on his map, Hux had checked - which meant that ever since  _ Ren  _ had kissed  _ him,  _ the childish, dramatic idiot had been avoiding him.

Which was absolutely ridiculous. Ren had kissed him and then scampered off like a skittish bantha, and then  _ nothing _ for  _ two weeks. _ He couldn’t even pick up Ren’s Force presence, which was usually constant and humming in his awareness. Which meant that not only was Ren  _ physically _ avoiding Hux, he was performing some sort of Force nonsense so Hux couldn’t even  _ sense _ him.

_ Ridiculous. _

He was alive, at least, because he was having meals delivered to his quarters - at erratic hours, and far fewer than he should be eating (and Hux wanted to smack himself for worrying over Ren’s eating habits) - but he was at least there to be ordering them. So obviously he was fine, or some variation of it.

Hux knew he should be glad for the quiet, but it was driving him mad. It felt like it had to be building to some larger Kylo Ren Emotional Outburst, because gods forbid it be an actual change in the man’s behavior. 

Worse, Hux’s Force connection had been buzzing strangely ever since that first brief meeting of lips. It was like the physical connection he had made with Ren had somehow led to a secondary one, like being in contact with someone as powerful as Ren had ratcheted up Hux’s latent capabilities. He was starting to be able to  _ read _ people - not to the degree Ren could, but to be able to skim their surface emotions, which made for a frustratingly cacophonic buzz of feelings in his head.

No wonder Ren was cranky all the time, if this was what he had to deal with on a daily basis.

Hux was finding it harder and harder to fight his general nervous compulsion to pace, and even with his gloves, his near-constant picking at his own palms was starting to do damage. This had to end, but Ren was being difficult about the whole damn thing.

Finally,  _ finally _ \- and Hux could not believe he was glad to have Ren back in his presence, but he was - Ren swept onto the bridge of the  _ Finalizer _ halfway into the third week after their kiss. Hux knew he was coming, felt his presence rippling through the Force, and was surprised to find he was glad to have that back too. 

“Lord Ren,” Hux acknowledged, as the Knight swept in to stand next to him at his command station. He was almost disappointed that Ren’s helmet was in place. 

“I understand you are planning an invasion of Skyria IV?” Ren asked. That it came out as a question was surprising enough, because Hux had not been private about the plans.

“It will give us a foothold in the system,” Hux said, “and has both land and resources - and Skyria II is an ideal candidate for Starkiller.”

“I was not questioning your decision,” Ren said. “There is a piece of the map to Skywalker on Skyria IV. Collecting it will be far easier if the planet is under First Order control.” Hux exhaled heavily. 

“Are you certain? We’ve chased a number of false leads in this chase of yours, Ren,” Hux said, and he knew it was dangerous to challenge the Knight, but he was willing to push his luck. 

“I am certain. And General? You will be required for the ground assault.” Ren said it as if it was a given. “Or for my recovery mission, at least.”

“What.” Hux didn’t even bother disguising his irritation. Ren had  _ shut him out,  _ completely, for  _ two and a half weeks,  _ and here he was sweeping ito command and demanding Hux participate in his little chase for Skywalker.  _ Ridiculous. _

“I have seen it. My success depends on your presence.” And then Ren was sweeping off again, leaving Hux staring after him for a very long moment.

And then he was aware that the rest of the bridge was staring, too, and he whirled.

“Back to your stations!” He snapped. The reaction was immediate, and Hux let out a heavy breath between gritted teeth. He had an invasion to plan. He didn’t have time to be worrying over Ren’s idiosyncrasies.

Kylo had stalked back to his quarters, back to his meditation chamber, where he had spent most of his time since that foolish indiscretion with Hux. (He could still feel the General’s lips on his, if he thought about it. He wanted to feel them again.) He had been trying to clear his mind, had begged for guidance from the Force, because what he had felt when he kissed Hux - the bubbling flare of emotions, the supernova in his chest when Hux had grabbed his hair and leaned in to kiss back - had felt far too good, far too  _ Light,  _ for him to tolerate. Even as he craved more of it, wanted to pin Hux against a wall and dishevel that perfect hair of his and kiss him until they were both gasping for air.

(Or have Hux pin him, and melt against the surprising strength he had observed when he had seen Hux in combat practice, once. That would be fine, too.)

This was not the sort of thing he was supposed to be thinking about, so he had meditated, for hours at a time.

The guidance he received was clear but unhelpful, ultimately, in solving the problem of his interest in his co-commander. He had picked up on the plans for the invasion by skimming the minds of some of the other officers, and the Force vision he had seen was clear - Hux’s presence was necessary to the success of his recovery of the map, because he saw Hux standing beside him as he retrieved the storage device containing the first piece.

So, fine, he would follow this guidance. He would help Hux with his invasion, they would conquer Skyria IV and then the rest of the system, and he would have his first piece of the trail to Skywalker.

What he  _ wanted  _ was immaterial. He  _ needed  _ to focus on his mission, focus on his growth with the Force. Hux would be a distraction, dream-promises or not. And Kylo Ren could not afford distractions.


	7. Chapter 7

Hux was deeply pleased to discover that once Kylo Ren decided to take a personal interest in the conquest of Skyria IV, he showed himself to be a surprisingly able tactician. That was good mostly because Hux really had no concept of how best to apply a Sith - he wasn’t exactly a traditional melee trooper. 

Ren could plan for himself, and was surprisingly willing to be integrated into Hux’s overall strategy. The idea was to sweep in, roll over the small Resistance force, scoop up Ren’s map piece, and set up a garrison to hold the planet. It would make a fine staging point for taking the rest of the system, and Hux was already hungrily studying whatever data he could find on Skyria II to see if it would be suited for Starkiller Base. It was an ideal distance from the sun, the intended power source of his massive weapon. The planet was the perfect size, too, for the miles and miles of machinery that would have to be built into it.

This would be grander than the Death Star.  _ Either  _ Death Star. It would secure his place in history. And ideally, there would be no foolish Rebel Alliance to blow the damn thing up. The Resistance wasn’t nearly as organized.

“I will have to see the planet for myself,” Hux found himself jerking up, startled by Kylo Ren’s voice coming from directly next to him - apparently he had been so engrossed he hadn’t even noticed Ren’s Force presence, “but I think Skyria II will do nicely to be repurposed into Starkiller Base.” 

Hux found himself grinning. That was the closest to an actual approval Ren had yet come.

“Then once Skyria IV is ours, we will have to survey the planet.” Hux said, and he didn’t even bother disguising the glee in his voice. Ren nodded, and then he was sweeping off again.

The  _ Finalizer  _ dropped out of hyperspace in the Skyria system, and almost as soon as it did, the bay was opened to allow out dozens of troop transport shuttles - including Ren’s command shuttle, which housed him and Hux. Phasma, Hux had found, preferred to ride with her troops. The plan was to drop down with overwhelming force, sweep over them like a tide of sheer power.

Hux, personally, was counting on the invasion being wrapped up in under a day.

“You’re optimistic, General,” Ren said, from his seat across from Hux.

“Get out of my head, Ren,” Hux said, without any real force behind it. There was a brief silence.

“I can’t,” Ren admitted, quietly. “Ever since…” He stopped. He didn’t have to finish for Hux to know what he was talking about. The General let out a sharp exhale.

“I see.” Hux said, and that was the end of it, as far as he was concerned. The shuttle landed, and he scooped up his rifle. “We’ll meet for the victory celebration, Ren.” 

“Earlier than that, I think, General,” Ren said, but he was also on his feet, lightsaber in hand. Ren was to join the ground troops, while Hux made his speedy, silent way to the top of a hill, as covered in brush as their reports suggested. He was not in his usual uniform - instead, it was dim khakis that would blend better with the brown foliage he was tucking himself into. He settled into the nest, and set up his rifle, and through the scope he had a perfect view of the battle as it began.

_ Hux,  _ a voice - Ren’s voice, unmodulated by the mask - bubbled up in his head.  _ I have an idea. _

_ This really isn’t the time for experimentation, Ren,  _ Hux thought back, knowing the Knight would hear him. 

_Oh, but I think it is._ _Relax, and open yourself, General - I think if we utilize this...bond that seems to have formed, however unintentionally, between us, we might just meet that prediction of yours._

It sounded ridiculous. Ren must have sensed his hesitation, because there was a gentle mental nudge, something that felt almost pleading.

Hux closed his eyes, inhaled, exhaled, and focused on Ren.

And suddenly he  _ was  _ Ren, as much as he was himself. 

_ Oh,  _ he thought, and he could see immediately how this was useful. No need for relaid reports, he would see the ground battle through Ren’s eyes. And he could  _ feel  _ the Force humming around them, through them, and he thought of the shot he’d made on Eotis, the last time he’d felt it this strongly --

_ I thought that was an exaggeration, _ Ren said, with a sense of genuine wonder. 

_ The shot? No, I really did take down General Meftis  _ \- and he briefly scoffed to use the title for a Resistance fighter, because it felt like they slapped it on anyone who stayed a few years, and he felt Ren’s amusement at his disdain -  _ from 3868 meters.  _

_ Do you think we can do better, General?  _ Ren offered, and it came with a surprising amount fo playfulness considering what they were discussing.

_ Let’s find out. _

Experiencing the battle from his own perspective and Ren’s at the same time should have been disorienting. It wasn’t - he found her could sort through the two sets of sensations with remarkable ease. Perhaps Ren was helping.

He didn’t have to wait on relaying orders, Ren could pick them out of his head and bark them to his troops. Picking targets was far easier with Ren pointing out commanders, and Hux could  _ feel  _ the fear rolling off the Resistance fighters when their officers started dropping. Someone started to shout  _ “sniper!”  _ and Ren’s lightsaber was through his back before he could finish, and through their connection Hux felt a rippling wordless rage and a desire to  _ protect  _ and he did not have the time to parse Ren’s moods right then, not when so much of it was nearly-mindless bloodlust.

Ren spotted the shield generator for the base before Hux did, sitting outside its protective curtain and keeping their troopers from sweeping the base.

Hux checked his rangefinder.

4138 meters. Nearly 300 meters longer than his impossible, record-breaking shot on Eotis.

_ We can do it,  _ Ren said, and Hux fed off his confidence, and aimed, and fired.

The generator exploded, the shield went down, and troopers poured into the Resistance base. Hux shared a swell of triumph with Ren, but he didn’t extract himself from his nest until he received an all-clear call from Phasma. 

_ I didn’t realize your rifle was so heavy, _ Ren said, and Hux realized he could likely feel the weight.  _ You carry it like it’s nothing. _

_ Practice,  _ Hux said, but he felt a sense of pride he didn’t even try to disguise. Ren retreated from his mind, returning to a passive rather than active presence, and Hux felt strange to be back entirely in his own skin, with only his own Force awareness. instead of the vast rippling power Ren commanded.

When he arrived at the forward position, he strode up to Ren and Phasma, who were in the middle of a heated discussion.

“...can’t let you go running off into the woods, Ren,” Phasma was saying.

“You will.” Ren replied, solidly. “I will recover the map. General Hux, and  _ no one else,  _ will accompany me. Sending troopers with us would be both unnecessary and risky. The defenses on this temple are best penetrated by a smaller force.”

“I am not sending two-thirds of high command on a wild -- Hux!” Phasma said. “Talk some sense into Ren, he seems to think the two of you are going to gallivant off into the woods to some ancient Jedi temple and recover a piece of the map to Skywalker.  _ Just  _ the two of you.”

“He is correct,” Hux said, and he couldn’t believe he was saying it. Phasma couldn’t, either; he could feel her disbelief. “Ren knows far more about this than either of us. If he says this is best done with only two people, I think it is best to trust his judgement.”

Besides, Hux had a feeling that the reason Ren specifically wanted him was because of his Force connection. No one else on the  _ Finalizer _ was sensitive, as far as he knew; perhaps the temple would react badly to non-Force sensitives.

_ That is exactly it,  _ Ren said in the back of his mind, and he didn’t have the energy to be annoyed at the intrusion, if it could even be called that.

“If the two of you could do your level best to come back alive,” Phasma said, after a long pause, “I would appreciate that.”

It was as close to concern as Phasma was going to show. Hux felt slightly warmed.

“We will be fine, Captain. I have seen it.” Ren said, full of confidence. Then, he strode off. Hux let out a heavy exhale and followed him, shrugging in Phasma’s direction as if to say  _ Force-users,  _ or maybe just  _ Ren. _

“How far are we going?” He asked, once he was caught up with the Knight. 

“Not far,” Ren said, but he sounded distracted. “I can feel it - can you?” Hux closed his eyes briefly, and concentrated - and yes, there it was, something bright and humming in his Force sense.

“Yes,” he said, and then he opened his eyes and found himself moving much quicker. The forest was surprisingly empty, quiet except for the crackle of leaves underfoot and the trill of birds in the trees. The temple rose before them rather suddenly - a building overgrown with plants and humming, powerfully, with Force energy.

_ This is why I needed you, _ Ren said, and something in his tone indicated he was realizing it for the first time.  _ There is a barrier. I cannot break it alone. _ The request was not state,d but it was implied - and Hux exhaled and opened himself to Ren again, and they both focused and swung hands out at the same time, a combined, powerful Force push that shattered the barrier. There was a powerful rush of backlash, but Ren did -  _ something _ \- and it didn’t touch either of them, just scattered leaves and knocked over trees behind them.

“If we had Troopers with us,” Ren said, once he had withdrawn from their connected minds, “that backfire would have killed them all. and as you are always reminding me, Troopers are not infinitely replaceable.” There was an underlying touch of sarcasm, and Hux found himself laughing, briefly.

“No reminder that clone troopers are?” He asked.

“I thought that went unsaid.” Ren replied dryly, but Hux could feel the excitement rolling off him. Ren strode forward, and Hux followed, sticking close to the Knight and keeping a hand on the blaster at his hip. “That won’t help you,” Ren said, and Hux rolled his eyes.

“Has anyone told you you’re terrible at being comforting?” He asked. 

“Regularly, actually, I -” Ren stopped, as they stepped into a central open area. There, sitting on a dais, was a very, very modern datastick. “There!” Ren bolted for it, but Hux caught his sleeve.

“Careful, Ren,” he warned. “I won’t have you blown up in front of me because that thing is trapped, somehow.” 

Ren inhaled sharply, the sound audible even with the voice filter of his mask.

“Thank you,” he said, and then he reached out with the Force, lifting the datastick off without touching it. It floated into his hand, and he curled his fingers around it. Hux felt Ren’s delight as he tucked the stick into a pocket within his robes, and then suddenly the Knight was pulling off his helmet and tossing it aside. Before the General knew what was happening, Ren’s hands were on either side of his face, and their lips were locked in another heated kiss. Hux wasted no time tangling his fingers in the taller man’s hair, a firmer hold this time, and his other hand gripped Ren’s shoulder. He heard Ren make a little noise of delight against his lips, and Hux grinned, leaning in to deepen the kiss.

They only broke to breathe, and Hux did not release his grip on Ren.

“You aren’t running away this time,” Hux said breathlessly.

“I don’t want to,” Ren replied, and then they were kissing again, and Hux could have stayed there for a very, very long time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO YES I AM HERE TO EARN THAT EXPLICIT RATING please enjoy shameless dirty smutty smut.

They did not get to stay there for nearly as long as Hux would have liked. Ren had gotten his uniform partially pulled away and was pressing heated kisses to his neck, and Hux was tugging desperately at the cowl that was only the first layer to unpeel - and then Hux’s communicator went off.

“General?” It was Phasma’s voice, obviously concerned. “Status report?” Ren made a noise that sounded distinctly petulant, and sank his teeth into Hux’s neck, making the redhead’s breath hitch.

“We’re alright,” Hux said once he had extracted the unit from his pocket, struggling to keep his voice steady because Ren was _definitely not stopping putting his mouth all over Hux’s neck_ , “we’ve recovered the datastick hidden here - _oh for the love of fuck, Ren_ ,” he gasped, because the Knight was palming Hux’s erection through his trousers.

“Do I need to send Troopers to escort you back?” Phasma asked, and there was a deeply uncomfortable hint of knowing in her tone.

“No!” Hux barked, and then he took a breath to steady himself. “We’ll be fine. We’ll be back shortly.” He cut the call, and then tugged lightly on Ren’s hair. “We have to go back,” and he hated how breathless his voice sounded.

“You don’t want to any more than I do,” Ren said, and he sounded distinctly frustrated. “I’m sure you could hold Phasma off a little longer.”

“Ren,” Hux said, “when I have you, I’d rather it be in my quarters on the Finalizer than in the middle of some dirty old Jedi temple.” That got Ren to stop, and Hux could feel the shiver that ran through him.

“Fine,” Ren said finally, and he withdrew, and even helpfully readjusted Hux’s uniform so the General looked somewhat less dishevelled.

If Phasma had any thoughts about what she had heard over the comm, she did not express them when Ren and Hux came out of the woods. Instead, she provided an upfront and professional status report, indicating that they could return to the Finalizer, with a detachment left behind to hold the planet.

The ride back felt, somehow, far longer than the one there. Perhaps because Hux was aching to get back to what he and Ren had started in that temple.

Perhaps because Ren was definitely not doing anything to mask that he wanted exactly the same thing.

Hux had never managed the walk from the hangar to his quarters so quickly in his life. He had never been quite so _motivated_. And with the General and Kylo Ren sweeping through the halls side by side, people got out of the way.

Kylo fidgeted antsily behind Hux while the other man opened the door to his quarters, reaching out with the Force to ensure there was no one who might see, more for Hux’s benefit than his own. He didn’t care if the entire crew knew what they were doing, because now that he was entirely committed to the idea, he was _committed_.

Being in Hux’s head while they kissed had been the last, shattering blow to any kind of ability Kylo might have had to resist the aching want he felt for the handsome General. He had felt how much Hux wanted him, had picked up on the man’s confusion and frustration (and a very deeply buried, very sharply denied _hurt_ ) from Kylo running away after their first kiss. There was no way he could keep on ignoring this, not when he knew Hux needed him as badly as he needed Hux.

As soon as they were through the door, he pulled off and discarded his helmet, surging forward to crash his lips against the General’s. It was inelegant and unrefined, but he wasn’t exactly aiming to impress with his kissing technique. This time. He started undoing the General’s uniform again, shoving off his greatcoat and undoing his belt. Hux’s hands were on him, too, tossing aside the cowl and discarding it. Kylo was starting to hate the sheer number of layers to both of their uniforms, and found it was much easier to get some help from the Force - it gave him extra hands to peel off his own belt while his normal ones tugged Hux’s uniform tunic over his head and tossed it aside. Hux fumbled briefly with Kylo’s overjacket, but got it off, while Kylo worked on Hux’s undershirt.

Soon, there was a pile of discarded clothes, removed with physical hands and with the Force.

“I didn’t know the Force could be turned to such...trivial things,” Hux teased, as he backed Kylo towards the bed.

“I would hardly call this trivial,” Kylo replied, and he was surprised at how rough his own voice sounded. He wanted this so badly it hurt. Hux looked darkly amused, and he pushed right as Kylo’s calves contacted the bed frame, making the Forceuser tumble backwards onto the mattress. Hux climbed on top of him, and Kylo was reminded of the surprising strength in the man’s compact form. He reached up to run his hands down Hux’s back, feeling the corded muscle underneath, and then brought them up to play over the patterning of freckles on Hux’s shoulders. He wondered, briefly, if the man had them on his face, too, and the image came unbidden of Hux covering them with concealer to make himself look less young and more commanding

“I think they’re cute,” Kylo breathed in Hux’s ear. He watched the man go red.

“I’m not cute,” Hux growled, and then he sank his teeth into Kylo’s neck, as if to reinforce the notion. Kylo moaned wantonly, digging his nails into Hux’s shoulders. He felt the arc of pleasure from the General, and he grinned, dragging his nails down Hux’s back, leaving trails of red in their wake. Hux ground his hips against Kylo’s, lips traveling lower to pepper bites on Kylo’s neck and shoulders. The Knight felt waves of glorious _possessiveness_ rolling off the General, and it made him moan faintly. Hux was practically marking his territory, and even though they would all be tucked under his robes, Kylo knew he would feel every bite mark all through the next day.

“Hux,” Kylo gasped, needily. The General’s tongue flicked over Kylo’s nipple, and Kylo inhaled sharply. He heard a distant whoosh, which meant he had probably knocked something off a table with the Force. Nothing breakable, it seemed, probably just papers, which was good, because he needed Hux’s attention on him and not on whatever objects Kylo’s Force powers were throwing around while the Knight lost control of himself under the clever onslaught of Hux’s mouth.

 _Beautiful_ , Kylo heard Hux think, and he flushed, dark enough that the man noticed. A slight grin teased its way across his face.

“It’s true,” he said, apparently realizing what Kylo had picked up. Kylo wasn’t sure if he believed it - he had never exactly been proud of his looks, a mix of his parents that often felt uneven and unattractive. “Root around in my head a little,” Hux offered, and then, _see what I see._

And Kylo did, pushed just enough to see himself through Hux’s eyes - to see that Hux looked at his flushed face and wide, lust-dark eyes and already messy hair and really did see _beautiful_.

“You’re insane,” Kylo murmured, but he leaned in to press his lips to Hux’s in a long, slow kiss. One of them moaned into it - Kylo wasn’t even sure who - and then Hux was pulling away, and Kylo had to resist the urge to Force-hold him in place. “Don’t,” he began, and he wasn’t sure what he was thinking.

“Lubricant, Ren; even if you don’t think you want it, or you think spit will do, I promise this will be much more pleasant with proper lubricant.” Hux said. Kylo exhaled.

“Where is it?” He asked. This was silly and he knew it, but part of him was afraid that if Hux walked away from him, it would break the spell and Hux would come to his senses and realize how ridiculous this was. Hux opened his mouth to answer, but Kylo shook his head. “Picture it,” he said, and Hux did - a bottle in the top drawer of his nightstand, mostly full. Kylo reached out with the Force, and the drawer opened and the bottle settled in his hand.

“That's a useful trick,” Hux complimented, taking the bottle out of Kylo’s hand and squeezing the liquid onto his fingers.

“I don’t usually use it for - oh,” Kylo gasped, as one of Hux’s fingers slid into him, and then two, and Hux was stretching him so wonderfully. His hips rolled a little, like he was trying to fuck himself on the fingers preparing him for Hux’s cock.

“You’re so needy,” Hux growled. _I love it,_ followed, not spoken, but practically projected.

“Yes,” Kylo gasped. He writhed under Hux’s touches, and then Hux found a spot in him that made him wail with pleasure, hips arching off the bed. “Please!” He said, and Hux added a third finger, but he was obviously getting impatient too. “Please, Hux, now, I need --” Hux groaned, obviously affected by Kylo’s begging. He withdrew his fingers and poured out more lube, slathering it on his cock, and then he slid into Kylo slowly, inch by inch.

Kylo threw his head back and moaned, and for a moment he seriously considered Force-pulling Hux forward and into him. It was sweet torture, but finally Hux was seated fully in him, hands gripping Kylo’s hips hard enough to bruise. Kylo waited, a moment, until he felt used to the feeling of fullness, and then he rolled his hips, as an urging to move.

Hux took the hint, sliding almost entirely out and then back in. He set a punishing pace, lifting Kylo’s legs so he could angle just right and hit his prostate every time. A litany of Kylo’s name tumbled from his lips - _Ren_ , at first, but then it became “oh, fuck, _Kylo_ ,” and then Hux’s hand was stroking Kylo’s cock and all Kylo could manage were desperate gasps of Hux’s name.

It wasn’t even intentional, but suddenly that connection was open again, and he could feel Hux’s pleasure tangled up with his own, a mess of wonderful heated messy sensation. He could feel a tight coiling in his stomach, and then he was tipping over, cumming all over his stomach and Hux’s hand. Hux fucked him through it, and he was spilling soon after, and the aftershock of experiencing that with him almost sent Kylo straight over the edge again.

Kylo’s awareness of Hux faded back to background noise instead of all-consuming sensation, and with a quiet groan, Hux slipped out of him and settled on the bed next to Kylo.

“You probably shouldn’t stay,” he murmured, but his fingers were trailing over Kylo’s shoulder, and it was obvious exactly how little he wanted Kylo to leave.

“I do a lot of things I shouldn’t,” Kylo murmured, settling against Hux. “I’ll make sure no one sees the Master of the Knights of Ren slipping out of the General of the First Order’s quarters,” he said lightly. “People would talk.”

“Can’t have that,” Hux murmured without much conviction. Kylo found himself smiling, just a little.

He fell asleep in Hux’s arms, feeling more safe and secure than he had since he was a child.


	9. Chapter 9

Hux’s room looked like a storm had blown through it. That storm, Hux suspected, had originated from the man currently curled up against his chest, dead asleep. Apparently Kylo had lost control of his Force powers during sex, because books and papers were flung off his desk, their clothes were even more scattered around than they’d been dropped, and frankly Hux was just glad none of his furniture was damaged. 

Hux might have been annoyed, and he probably would be if Kylo didn’t at least offer to help pick up, but right then he was far too pleased with himself. Kylo was certainly an uncontrolled ball of emotions, but the one thing he never lashed out with without purpose was the Force. And yet he had sent Hux’s quarters into total disarray,  _ because Hux had managed to shred his control to pieces. _

And now he was curled up, asleep and beautifully vulnerable, fair skin darkened by bruises and bitemarks from Hux’s attentions. They both probably needed to shower, between the battle before and the sex after, but he was reluctant to even attempt to wake Kylo, lest he disturb the wonderfully peaceful scene in front of him. 

He was reluctant to move for the same reason. He’d sent a message saying he wasn’t to be disturbed unless it was an emergency, and barring some form of massive incompetence on the part of the rest of his crew, he should have a few uninterrupted hours to…

Well, apparently, to cuddle with Kylo Ren.

If anyone had ever suggested that was a position he would find himself in even a day ago, he probably would have laughed in their face. He would not have imagined Kylo Ren as the sort of man who  _ wanted  _ cuddling, or that he himself was the sort of man who gave it.

And yet there he was, and there was absolutely no way he was going to move.

He exhaled and settled back into the bed, running his fingers through Kylo’s hair. 

He could spare a few hours for his own private little victory celebration.

When Hux stirred awake again a few hours later, there was no longer a warm body in his arms. For a moment, irrationally, he worried Ren had slunk out again, but there was a gentle soothing in his mind and a shuffling in his quarters, and when he sat up and opened his eyes, there was Kylo, still naked, trying to straighten up Hux’s disastrously messy workspace.

“I didn’t know that would happen,” Kylo said, and he looked - and sounded - distinctly embarrassed, which, fuck him, Hux couldn’t help but find utterly adorable. No wonder he bundled himself in layers of protection and sarcasm, because apparently when those were peeled away, what was left was a delicate, awkward man. “I’ve never ---” 

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Hux exhaled, slowly disentangling from his sheets and walking up behind Kylo, sliding an arm around the man’s waist and carefully extracting the book he was holding from his fingers, “I’m not awake enough to deal with the rest of that sentence.”

Except apparently he was, because he felt a hot burn of possessiveness in his gut. He was the only one who had seen Kylo Ren like that, the only person who had ever reduced Kylo to pleading to be fucked.

(If he had anything to say about it, he  _ would  _ be the only one, and he hadn’t realized he was projecting when he thought that - or maybe Kylo was just that comfortably settled in his head - but there was an answering pleased sigh in the back of his mind.)

“I’ll worry about cleaning up. There was a system,” Hux said, and Kylo let out an undignified little snort. 

“Gods forbid anything be out of order, with you,” he teased, and then he reached back and proceeded to aggressively dishevel Hux’s already disastrously messy hair. Hux rolled his eyes.

“We both need to shower,” he said, slowly disentangling from Kylo to head for the ‘fresher and setting the book on his desk on the way. Kylo was still for a moment, as if he was surprised Hux had moved away, and then he came scrambling after the General, tucking his way into the small stall. Hux already had the water on by the time Kylo caught up with him, and he was diligently washing his hair, looking intensely amused. 

“I hope that was an invitation,” Kylo said, though it was a little late to worry about that. 

“It was,” Hux said, and then he squirted shampoo onto his hands and leaned forward to work it into Kylo’s hair. His shower products were finer than standard issue, but Hux cared very much about appearances, and part of that was ensuring that he was as perfectly groomed as possible.

“You’d look good without all this stuff,” Kylo said, even as he took some of the fine soap and started rubbing it over Hux’s frame. Somehow, Hux found, showering together was more intimate than sex - he’d had casual flings with peers, back when he had peers, trying to distract himself from dreams he thought he could never have, but no one had ever stayed after. He’d certainly never drawn a washcloth between a lover’s thighs and watched him shiver, the way Kylo was right then.

“Not  _ as _ good,” Hux said idly, and had anyone but Kylo been needling him for his vanity, he might have been embarrassed. He drew a finger over Kylo’s cock, and felt it twitch. Kylo inhaled sharply, and leaned in to kiss him. Hux sighed against Kylo’s lips, wrapping a hand around his cock and stroking. It probably sort of invalidated the point of a shower, and would overextend how long it took them both to get back on duty. Hux had no idea what time it was, but then, if he was  _ really  _ needed, someone would have come for him.

Kylo’s lips were on his neck again, and briefly, unbidden, Hux imagined those soft, plush lips around his cock, how wonderfully debauched Kylo would look on his knees.

“Oh,” Kylo breathed against his neck, as if he had never thought of that before, and then he sank down to his knees, and those lovely brown eyes were staring up at Hux as Kylo took his cock into his mouth. 

_ “Kylo,”  _ Hux gasped, gently tangling his fingers in the other man’s hair. It was obvious he’d never done this before, and his technique was sloppy and unrefined, but he was also paying attention to Hux’s mental feedback and adjusting - his verbal was reduced to moaning and encouragement and gasping Kylo’s name. Kylo’s hands were on his hips, a loose hold that was mostly just leverage so he could bob his head up and down. 

Hux’s brief fantasy definitely could not actually compare to the sight before him, to the actual Kylo Ren on his knees greedily sucking him off. 

“Kylo,  _ fuck, Kylo,”  _ he gasped, and then he was cumming, and Kylo swallowed eagerly. Slowly, the Knight slid off and stood back up, and Hux kept one hand tangled in his hair so he could lean in and catch him in a heated kiss, enjoying the taste of himself on Kylo. His other hand slipped between Kylo’s legs, and he started stroking his cock again, which made Kylo moan desperately and slide his arms around Hux’s shoulders to steady himself. One hand tangled in Hux’s hair, destroying any of the beginnings of order Hux had started to get it into. 

Oh well, he’d take care of it later. 

On each upstroke, he swept a thumb over the tip of Kylo’s cock, making the taller man shiver, and it wasn’t long before Kylo was fucking into his fist and then spilling onto both of them. Hux carefully broke away from kissing him, as little as he wanted to.

“I really should get to the bridge,” Hux said, “I do have a ship to run.” Kylo made a distinctly grumpy noise.

“Hang the ship,” he said under his breath, but it was loud enough for Hux to hear with them still pressed against each other. “It could run itself. It has since last night.”

Hux hated that Kylo was right. 

“It’s  _ my ship--”  _

“ _ Our  _ ship,” Kylo cut in, and Hux gave him a very stern look.

“--and I am going to be on the bridge to run it. Besides, there are tactical discussions on the holding of Skylia IV, the securing of the rest of the system…” Hux finished. Kylo groaned loudly and dramatically.

“Fine, fine. The First Order needs its General.” He said, and it managed to come out deeply petulant.

“ _ And  _ the Master of the Knights of Ren.” Hux reminded him. Kylo huffed, but Hux could feel the the pleased flicker in him at the implied compliment. “You could stand to sit in on more strategic meetings,” he said, “your insights were invaluable.” Kylo blinked, looked genuinely startled by that.

“I’ll...try to make time, around my training.” Kylo said. Hux hummed agreeably. That was as close as he was going to get to an actual promise to show up, and he took it.

They both finished showering, and dressed, and Hux was glad they were in his quarters so he could pull out fresh clothes instead of trying to smooth out messy, wrinkled ones that had been tossed to the ground unceremoniously in the leadup to fucking Kylo and then tossed around  _ again  _ by Kylo’s Force powers. It wouldn’t do for him to show up looking messy.

Kylo was obviously not nearly as concerned about his appearance, but then, no one was going to stare at  _ Kylo Ren  _ because his clothes were wrinkled. 

People  _ did  _ stare when the two of them arrived on the bridge side by side, but it didn’t last. No one who had survived long enough to be a member of the bridge crew of the  _ Finalizer  _ was _quite_ stupid enough to stare openly at General Hux and Kylo Ren, no matter the odd circumstances of their arrival.

It was, however, a popular topic of gossip for the rest of the day.


	10. Chapter 10

Skyria II, Hux observed, was  _ cold.  _ As soon as they touched down so Kylo could do his physical review of the planet, or whatever Force thing he intended to do to test its suitability, Hux could feel the chill permeating even the insulated shuttle. He bundled his greatcoat a little tighter, and was surprised to feel a sudden flow of warmth settling around him - Kylo, naturally, though the man hadn’t appeared to move. He pressed over his thanks, and received warm acceptance in return. 

He was starting to become oddly used to having Kylo’s presence in the back of his mind, and to the constant thrum of other emotions around him. He could feel the low hum of fear that came from the collection of Stormtroopers with them - fear, he suspected, of Kylo. Most of the ranks were terrified of him, moreso after the absolute carnage he had unleashed on Skyria IV.

It was almost amusing, but then, even Hux’s bridge officers tended to be terrified of Kylo Ren.

Perhaps because although he had yet to be the victim of Kylo’s violence, most of his bridge crew had been on the receiving end of a Force choke for incompetence.

(Sometimes, Hux wished he could do that. It would probably improve the running efficiency of his ship.)

_ You could learn, _ Kylo said, in the back of his mind, as they stepped off the shuttle.  _ I could teach you. _

Hux glanced over at the Knight, startled. 

_ You have more potential than you realize. _ The comment was left off with a gentle, affectionate stroke in his mind, as Kylo walked further into the snow. Hux considered the offer - perhaps for another time, because the possibility was deeply intriguing.

The drifts, fortunately, weren’t deep - yet - and there appeared to be little local wildlife. Miles of pine trees covered the surface, but those would be felled easily enough to make room for Starkiller’s facilities. 

He felt the Force rippling around Kylo, felt it bend to the Knight’s whim, and spread out around them.

The snow under Kylo’s feet melted, and although Hux stood still and watched, the Stormtroopers all took several steps back. Hux didn’t blame them, particularly. This was a surprising display of Kylo’s sheer, raw power, and even though Hux was fairly certain he was the only one who could feel the ripples rolling out from the masked man, the physical signs - rustling trees, melting snow - were enough.

The fear was rolling off the Troopers in waves, now. How Kylo managed not to be distracted by it, Hux couldn’t imagine.

Finally, the Force ripples stopped, and Kylo turned, waving a hand to dismiss the Troopers. Hux wrinkled his nose, briefly - he disliked Kylo commanding his troops, whatever his changed tolerance (alright,  _ affection _ ) for the man himself - but they were already practically tripping over each other to get back into the shuttle and have some space away from Kylo Ren and his subtle but terrifying display of power. No reason to call them back now.

“What was that?” Hux asked, and he was surprised to see Kylo lifting off his helmet, wearing an absolutely brilliant smile.

“Feeling out the planet,” Kylo replied. “It’s...hard to explain.” He waved a hand. “But this is it. This is perfect. This planet will be our Starkiller.” 

_ Our  _ Starkiller. Hux had been used to thinking of it as his and his alone - but realistically, it would indeed be both of theirs.

“We will contact Snoke as soon as we return to the _Finalizer,_ and begin construction imm--” Kylo cut him off with a long, slow kiss.

“It’s going to be beautiful,” Kylo breathed against his lips.

“We will bring the Republic to its  _ knees, _ ” Hux agreed.

It was a glorious thought.

Construction on Starkiller began in earnest. The plans were leftover from the old Empire, improved by Hux and his engineers, and because they were using the planet’s existing superstructure, it would be completed in a little over a tenth of the time of the first Death Star, despite being far larger and more powerful.

That satisfied Hux immensely. it had taken the Empire 20 years to build their superweapon. He would do it in  _ three. _

He couldn’t afford to oversee the construction all the time, which was unfortunate, because he would have enjoyed planting himself in the base and watching his glorious weapon unfold beneath him. Alas, there was still a galaxy to bring to heel, and as the captain of the First Order’s flagship and head of the fleet, Hux’s command was required for many of the larger operations.

Their next conquest was the Elrood system - mostly made up of worlds held by the Radell Mining Corporation, Hux expected the planets would be useful for resources for the Starkiller project. Not a  _ glorious _ victory, certainly, but a necessary one, and not even really a military expedition.

The plan was remarkably simple, really. The President of the company was a die-hard Republic idealist, and had some choice words for Hux when they had attempted to parley. The insults hadn’t bothered him - frankly, he had heard worse before - but he had felt Kylo’s seething rage on his behalf, and known that were the man not a system away, he would be dead already. He was fairly certain Kylo had tried.

The Vice-President, set to be the head when her superior retired or died, was all too happy to make a deal with the First Order, and had informed them so in a private holocall made after the President had hung up on them. (Which, frankly,  _ rude. _ ) 

So the idealist would be removed, and the sympathizer put in place. A simple enough coup, to be carried out with simple means.

Hux would not leave such an important assassination to chance; he intended to handle it himself. 

The night before he was intended to slip onto the planet, he was reviewing maps and plans in bed, with Kylo curled up against his side. The Knight had seemed distracted all day, and had avoided going to the conferences on the taking of the system - Hux had assumed he was simply disinterested, or involved in some sort of training to further the depth of his command of the Force.

Who knew, really, with Kylo.

But there was a pressure on his arm, and Hux glanced up from his work to see Kylo squeezing his forearm and staring at him with wide, nervous eyes.

“Don’t go,” he said, softly. “I felt -- something’s going to go wrong.”

Hux frowned. Kylo’s vision had been accurate before, it had taken both of them to conquer Skylia IV and recover the map. There was no reason to discard or distrust his intuition, but Hux still felt his plan was the cleanest way, and he would prefer to take a system with a single well-applied headshot rather than an extended military campaign, given the opportunity. Less costly, in all senses, and less likely to leave a hostile population.

“I can’t leave it to anyone else, Kylo. This has to be subtle - and I’m the one best suited to the task of assassination.” Kylo frowned, darkly, hand sliding down Hux’s arm to twine their fingers together. 

“Let me come with you, then.” He suggested. “To the meeting after, at least, with your sympathizer, though I would prefer to accompany you the whole way.” Hux considered, for a moment.

“You aren’t exactly subtle.” He pointed out.

“I’ll go unmasked, in different clothes - you’ll hardly be sneaking on dressed as the General of the First Order,” Kylo drawled, “I hope. And I’ll be useful in your meeting. I can read the minds of your new partners, ensure everything is in place.”

“All right.” Hux agreed, reaching around to run his fingers through Kylo’s hair. “It will require a few modifications, but nothing too difficult.”

Kylo sighed, faintly, but it was a fond, relaxed sound, and he leaned into Hux’s hand. “I’ll be able to get us past any guards, and you’ll be able to slip in your real rifle, not some...modified  _ thing, _ ” Kylo actually sounded like he found the thought distasteful. “And bring your sidearm.”

“I always do,” Hux said, and then he set aside his reports and turned his full attention to Kylo. Elrood would be waiting in the morning.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter completely got away from me, oops

Hux hated it when Kylo was right. Not because he was insufferable about it - which was also true, frankly, but a lesser concern right then - but because it meant, in this case, that apparently he was going to be knee-deep in some  _ very _ aggressive negotiations.

The assassination itself had gone off without a hitch, because Hux was a meticulous planner and an excellent shot and Kylo’s Force manipulation had protected them from any scrutiny while they were setting up and even once they waltzed out of the very building the shot had been taken from while people milled around in a desperate panic. It had left Hux with a thrilling confidence and considering plans for more takeovers by assassination in the future - so much cleaner than wasting Stormtrooper and sometimes officer lives in ground invasions. 

But the meeting with the supposed sympathizer, the lovely young Vice President who had insisted she would be happy to cede to First Order control, was apparently not going to be nearly as easy and efficient as Hux had hoped. When she met with Hux - who she greeted by name and rank - and Kylo - who he introduced as his second-in-command rather than give away his biggest advantage - she was wearing a shark’s smile and brought them to a conference room where a larger group was waiting. 

Some of them looked like businessmen - company executives, likely - and the rest...well, they looked about as familiar with a boardroom as Kylo did, and Kylo was glancing around uncomfortably, like he wanted to be anywhere else. Mercenaries, then, likely. A gentle press of affirmation from Kylo in the back of his mind confirmed the guess.

“General,” she had said smoothly, leaning forward on the table, “you must understand that I need to have the most advantageous position possible for my company. A deal with your Order prevents me from trading with the Republic, so I wish to ensure the terms are as generous as possible.”

Hux didn’t need Kylo’s mental, practically screamed  _ she’s going to betray us  _ to know what was coming. His hand went to his sidearm, and he narrowed his eyes.

“Is that so.” He said, flatly. A quick glance back confirmed the door was blocked, and some of the men he had identified as mercenaries were blocking it. 

“Surely you can understand what leverage having the commanders of the First Order’s flagship brings. It really isn’t anything personal, gentlemen. Just business.” She said. And then the mercenaries were on their feet, and the actual executives were dropping under the table, and Hux rubbed his temples.

Why couldn’t  _ anything _ ever go as smoothly as he planned? 

“ _ Just business,”  _ Kylo snarled, pushing himself out of his seat and sliding his lightsaber out of its holster at his waist.

The moment it ignited, Hux watched, with no small amount of satisfaction, as the woman went absolutely white. 

“T-that’s...you brought…” She stammered, stepping back from the table.

“Kylo Ren, yes,” Hux said, and now he was the one wearing the supremely confident smile. “So if you would like to reconsider your strategy in view of this new information, I promise the First Order can be most forgiving. If not…” He gestured at Kylo, drawn to his full height and looking terribly menacing even without his mask, cast in the flickering light of his unstable ‘saber.

“I will not hesitate to slaughter every single one of you.” Kylo said, and his tone hung on the edge of truly brutal violence. 

“What are you waiting for?” The woman screeched. “Get them!” Hux sighed and pushed himself out of his chair, Stormtrooper blaster sliding easily into his hand. 

_ She thinks General Hux and Kylo Ren are an even finer prize than just Hux and his second-in-command, _ Kylo informed him.

_ Of course she does. Fool. _ Hux replied, and then the shooting started in earnest. Hux sank into Kylo’s mind, standing back-to-back with the Knight as Kylo batted away blaster shots with his lightsaber. Hux would have to be the offense, which suited him just fine - he had a sniper’s precision even with a pistol, and he could feel Ren’s Force mastery rippling through him, letting him do things he could never have imagined. Curve shots, precisely strike his enemies, compensate easier for the smaller weapon and tight quarters. 

There was a flood of pain, suddenly, in his side, and he wasn’t sure if it was him or Kylo who was hit for a moment, they were so in sync. Kylo’s roar of rage, out loud and in their shared consciousness, told Hux it was, in fact, him that had been hit, and then he felt a slow drip of blood down his hip.

Not a blaster, then, he thought distantly. 

One of the mercenaries was wielding a smaller, modified Wookie bowcaster.  _ That  _ explained it.

A second shot struck him in the shoulder, but that one  _ was _ a blaster bolt. It was set, he realized distantly when there was no massive bloom of pain, to  _ stun  _ instead of  _ damage  _ \- they  _ were  _ clearly still intending to take hostages. 

This, Hux thought as the stunner took effect and he lost consciousness, was why he hated close combat so damn much. 

He woke up in the medbay of the  _ Finalizer,  _ with Phasma sitting surprisingly dutifully by his side, helmet under her arm.

“Good morning, General,” she said dryly. “How do you feel?”

“Alive,” Hux croaked, as he took assessment of his physical state. He ached in places that he was reasonably certain hadn’t been injured, but that was likely the result of the fall and being on a bed for - “how long was I unconscious? And what  _ happened? _ ” 

“Three days, to allow the bowcaster wound to heal.” Phasma replied. “As best as anyone can tell between the room and the people left, after you were hit Ren  _ lost it. _ Shredded his way through the entire company of mercenaries, Force-choked the VP, got the rest of the executives to surrender through sheer Ren-induced terror.”

All of that sounded very, thoroughly Kylo. An uncontrolled explosion of rage that resulted in brutal carnage - though he was a little pleased to hear that his Knight had reined it in enough to successfully solidify their hold on the planet even with the unfortunate treachery that had taken place.

“And then he carried you back here - holding your insides in, mind you, you might want to thank him - and refused to leave your side until you were stabilized.” Phasma continued, and there was something in her expression that made Hux narrow his eyes. “Once you were stabilized, he took over a training room and he hasn’t left. You might want to go inform him you’re awake, clear him out so my Troopers can have their room back.”

“You assume I can _make_ Ren do anything,” Hux said, dryly. Phasma’s expression became a very knowing, beneficent smile.

“I think you can make him do a lot of things, General,” she said, and Hux felt his face color bright red. 

“Well.” He slung his legs over the side of the cot, standing up and wobbling. Phasma pressed a folded uniform into his hand, and gestured to his greatcoat, hung nearby.

“Get dressed, General, you look ridiculous in hospital scrubs.” She stood up. “You aren’t expected on the bridge until tomorrow.” And then Phasma had the audacity to  _ wink _ as she walked out, leaving him alone to dress.

Hux inhaled slowly, taking stock now that he had a moment to process - the idea that Kylo had slaughtered a room full of people because  _ he  _ was injured sent a thrill up his spine. He reached for Kylo through the Force, but ran into a wall - whatever Kylo was doing in that training room, he was focused on it so intently that he wasn’t responding to Hux’s prodding. So, on legs that were briefly slightly unsteady, he swept out of the medbay. 

His side still ached, and he hadn’t looked closely, but he was fairly certain the injury would scar. Unpleasant, but at least he was alive for it to scar, and not currently sitting as a hostage to some puffed-up corporate executive. Which was where he would have been, if it weren’t for Kylo.

He found the training room, keyed in his override, and couldn’t even pretend to be surprised to find it destroyed. Kylo was standing in the center, helmet off, surrounded by scattered droid pieces. There were blaster marks on all four walls, and he was facing off against one remaining training droid. It had a blaster pointed at him, and Kylo’s lightsaber was ignited, but he was holding it off to the side.

“Kylo,” Hux called his name - not  _ Ren,  _ which he still used insistently in public.

Kylo turned, and stared at Hux with wide eyes for a long moment. Then, he deactivated his lightsaber, ran over, threw his arms around Hux’s shoulders, and pulled him close, face burying in the General’s hair.

“I’m so sorry,” Kylo breathed, and Hux realized he was shaking. “I  _ felt  _ you fall, I - I should have been able to block that shot, both of them, but I was too slow. I won’t be again.”

“Kylo,” Hux pushed back, just a little, but reached up to gently grip the taller man’s chin. “You have nothing to apologize for. As I understand, not only did you make everyone in that room regret standing against the First Order, you ensured I made it out alive. If you hadn’t been there, I would be a prisoner, or dead.”

“I know,” Kylo breathed. “But I shouldn’t have let you get hurt at all. I’ve been practicing, it won’t happen again. Let me show you.”

Hux nodded. Kylo disentangled from him and walked back to where he had been standing.

The droid fired, and Kylo didn’t bring up his lightsaber, instead just holding up a hand. Centimeters from his fingers, the blaster shot froze midair. 

Hux inhaled sharply. The sight was incredible, an application of control and finesse he couldn’t help but find beautiful. And illuminated in the light of the blaster, staring it down, it was much easier to place Kylo Ren among the ranks of the Sith.

Kylo walked around it, keeping it in place.

“I’m not a Sith, you know,” he said, as if he’d plucked the thought from Hux’s mind. He probably had.

“Oh?” Hux inquired, stepping into the training floor and examining the frozen blaster bolt himself. It hummed, the same way Kylo’s lightsaber did, unstable and barely contained. But it did not move. He could feel the Force holding it in place, and it made something trip in his chest. So much raw power, so elegantly directed.

“The Sith are...were?” Kylo pondered, for a moment. “Never mind - anyway, there’s a lot of philosophy involved that I don’t hold to, nor does Snoke. The Rule of Two, particularly, so if I wanted to take an apprentice, I could, without some stupid philosophy telling me I have to murder my Master first.” A brief pause, a half-smile. “If I was a Sith, I’d be  _ Darth  _ something. You take that name as soon as you become an apprentice. And that would just sound stupid. Darth Kylo? Darth Ren? No. The naming convention is overdramatic, anyway.”

“I thought you admired the Sith. Admired Vader, particularly.” Hux said. "And Sith names are overdramatic _,_ but your everything, that's within perfectly acceptable levels of drama?" Kylo snorted.  


“I can admire the man’s power while still thinking Sith philosophy is short-sighted.” Kylo said, and then he stepped away from the bolt, and led Hux away, and let go. It slammed into the wall, leaving another burn on the wall. “Tell Phasma she can have her training room back. I’ve accomplished what I was working for.”

“Good,” Hux said, “because I really would like to thank you properly for saving my life.” He put a hand under Kylo’s chin, a gloved thumb running over his cheek, and then pulled him down and pressed a long kiss to his lips. He felt Kylo shiver under his fingers, much more pleasantly than he had been shaking when he first took Hux in his arms. 

They made it back to Hux’s quarters, somehow, before clothes started coming off. Hux started to pull off his gloves, first, but Kylo shook his head.

“Leave them on,” he breathed, softly, and then he flushed bright red, as if the request embarrassed him. Hux raised an eyebrow and let a slow grin appear on his face. “You can take off everything else, but leave the gloves on. Please.”

“You like the feel of leather?” He asked. Kylo nodded, and Hux reached up to take his chin in his hand and kiss him briefly. “Then I’m happy to indulge you.”

He shrugged off his greatcoat, draping it over a chair, and then moved forward to begin undressing Kylo. There were a lot of layers to peel off, but by now Hux was well and familiar with every single one, and when he finally had the man bare before him, he trailed gloved fingers over Kylo’s chest, tweaking his nipples and making Kylo gasp loudly. Hux began kissing down his neck, tracing over the taut muscles that rippled under Kylo’s skin. 

“Go sit on the bed,” Hux breathed against Kylo’s collarbone, “and spread your legs.” Kylo practically tripped over himself to follow the instructions, and Hux walked over, trailing his fingers over Kylo’s thigh. Slowly, he knelt between Kylo’s legs, and drew his hand over Kylo’s cock. He would have preferred to feel it with bare fingers, but watching Kylo’s eyes go wide and hearing the desperate, needy little noise that tumbled past Kylo’s lips made it all worth it.

“ _ General, _ ” hearing his title on Kylo’s lips, the way Kylo  _ sighed  _ it as soon as Hux’s mouth touched the head of his cock, was a beautiful form of encouragement. He leaned down, taking more of Kylo into his mouth, enjoying how thick it was. He stroked the part not in his mouth with gloved fingers, his other hand playing over Kylo’s thigh and hip and curving around to squeeze his ass. “Hux,  _ fuck, _ ” Kylo panted, hips rolling a little to fuck into Hux’s mouth. The Forceuser was projecting, a tumbled mess of sensation and the searing certainty that he was  _ very much enjoying that Hux was still wearing his uniform. _

Well. That was interesting. 

He drew his tongue from the top of his glove to the tip of Kylo’s cock, making the man shudder desperately.

“Hux!” Kylo’s hips stuttered, and Hux could feel that he was about to tip over the edge. He twisted his hand once, twice, and then Kylo was cumming into his mouth with a loud, desperate shout, and Hux swallowed, carefully licking trailing cum off Kylo’s cock and his own chin. Kylo was barely managing to hold himself up, pupils blown wide with lust even in the wake of his orgasm. Hux slowly stood up, and leaned in to press his lips to Kylo’s.

“I have to go to the bridge,” he said, “because I’ve left the bridge crew running the ship for three days and I need to catch up.” Kylo groaned unhappily. 

“The  _ Finalizer  _ is still flying, even without you at the helm,” he said, grouchily. “But fine, go.”

Hux was loathe to leave, but he had a ship to run and an annexation to clean up after. Trade routes to prepare, shipments of resources to plot out for Starkiller - losing three days after the taking of a planet was a position he didn't enjoy being in. But at least he was here to pick up the pieces - and at least the annexation had _happened._  


He was loathe to think of what would have happened if he had resisted Kylo's advice. And the whole incident had left him much more seriously considering Kylo's offer to train him in the use of the Force - it might just become necessary for him to use it, and it would be foolish to waste a tool available to him.

Kylo wouldn't be there to protect him from every possible danger. Better to be able to protect himself.


	12. Chapter 12

Kylo had not entirely expected Hux to accept his offer of training in the Force, and he wasn’t sure, really, why he had offered when he had been almost certain the answer would be no until Hux had looked him in the eyes and practically demanded Kylo train him. Hux, as far as Kylo had known, hadn’t believe he  _ could  _ become a Force-user.

But Kylo knew that wasn’t true - had felt the potential in his lover as soon as their minds had touched on Skyria IV. As soon as he had settled there and felt how  _ powerful  _ Hux could be, if he only tried -- it was strange. It didn’t make sense, that Snoke either wouldn’t notice or wouldn’t cultivate that.

A traitorous thought, to think anything his Master did didn’t make sense, or to think that somehow Hux’s potential had been hidden from him, that Kylo was somehow more powerful or more perceptive or more  _ special _ than Snoke. Kylo had always been what Snoke made him, even when he was Ben Solo and struggling to control his emotions the way his uncle (before that, his parents) wanted while Snoke whispered that he should  _ let go _ . 

Snoke had a reason for not training Hux. Surely he did. Perhaps he had been too busy cultivating Kylo, no time for a second apprentice, perhaps he thought it better Hux put his mind towards the domination of the galaxy. Kylo didn’t intend to ask, any more than he had asked for permission to train Hux in the first place. (And he definitely hadn’t avoided asking because he knew Snoke’s answer would be no, certainly not, he would never defy his Master.) 

After all, surely only good things could come of having another Force-user, especially one as controlled as Hux. Kylo was well aware of how out of control his own emotions could be, how out of control they could make his powers, how quickly he lashed out to choke officers and Stormtroopers who committed no more crime than to be in his way when he was angry or to make the wrong mistake under his eye. 

(Sometimes, he still saw Rigil’s face, empty eyes staring at him.

Hux would never make a mistake like that, never kill someone he hadn’t intended to. Hux was controlled and precise. If someone ended up dead at Hux’s hands, it was because Hux had damned well meant to make them that way, because he was stronger and more focused and more in control of himself than Kylo.)

Hux was a natural. And it wasn’t because Kylo was somehow guiding him - he kept a careful handle on their connection, so that Hux couldn’t use Kylo’s power instead of his own - but Hux found Force manipulation as easy as breathing.

The General insisted it was because he had been inside Kylo’s mind; Kylo knew it was because Hux was brilliant. 

“I wonder how you’d do with a lightsaber,” Kylo mused, watching Hux hold a struggling training droid in the air with nothing but the Force. Their training sessions, at Hux’s insistence, took place late during the night-cycle and in a locked training room that would require clearance on Kylo or Hux’s level to override.

Hux wrinkled his nose faintly at the suggestion.

“I despise close combat,” he said, and he tightened his fist, stopping the droid’s struggles and then crushing the metal casing. “I became a sniper for a reason, and that’s because being on the front lines is terrible.”

“You can’t always be out of close combat.” Kylo pointed out, and for a moment, he thought he felt the pain all over again of that modified bowcaster ripping Hux’s side open. 

“That’s what I have you for, isn’t it?” Hux said, and he said it with such casual confidence that all Kylo could do was stare. Hux gestured, and the droid flew, slamming into the wall, and then he let it go. “This really is terribly cathartic. It’s too bad I can’t Force-choke my  _ own  _ incompetent underlings, it would make so many things go so much smoother.” 

It took Kylo longer than really necessary to respond, because he was still trying to accept Hux’s beautifully sincere faith in him. Even though he had failed, the General was still certain that he would be able to protect him.

“You could, I mean, if you stopped trying to hide this,” Kylo said, once he had gotten himself even moderately together, and Hux shook his head.

“I would rather keep this particular weapon secret.” He said. “It might become necessary to apply covertly - for instance, you’re terribly conspicuous, so sending you to rifle through the minds of my troops looking for a mole would just tip them off. If I could do that under the guise of examining the troops…”

“Ah,” Kylo breathed. Of course Hux considered every eventuality, had pondered the costs and benefits. Because Hux thought a thousand miles an hour, was used to planning the downfall of systems. “Well,” Kylo said idly, “perhaps I should come to meetings with you, Force-choke your incompetent subordinates for you. Or provide a cover so you can do it yourself.” Hux laughed, actually laughed, and Kylo was struck by how much younger it made him. Hux had a nice laugh, and it even made  _ him  _ smile a little.

“You know, I’d probably enjoy that far more than I should,” Hux said, and then he sauntered over to Kylo, sliding one hand into his hair and the other around his shoulders and kissing him slowly. Kylo sighed and melted into Hux’s arms, draping his arms over the man’s shoulders.

“I love you,” Kylo murmured against Hux’s lips, and then he tensed, berating himself for letting it slip out. Hux’s hand moved from his hair to his chin, and he held Kylo’s eyes with his - green, usually, but blue now, in this light, and Kylo noticed things like Hux’s eye color far more than he should - a small hint of a smile on his face.

“I know.” He breathed, and he didn’t have to say more, because Kylo could feel the warmth of Hux’s affections pouring over him. 

He didn’t realize he had started crying until he felt Hux’s thumb on his cheek, brushing the tears away. 

They stayed like that for a long time, and Kylo thought, once again, about how safe he felt in Hux’s arms.


	13. Chapter 13

Being called before Snoke alone was not, for Kylo, a particularly pleasant experience. Especially not when he was technically keeping secrets from his Master, whom he should never keep secrets from, ever. 

(Snoke knew every corner of his mind. There  _ were  _ no secrets, surely.)

(And yet he had tried to keep his training Hux in the Force - and his relationship with the General - a secret, for fear of reprisal. Not on him, but on his lover.)

“Master,” he greeted, already on one knee when Snoke’s hologram flickered on. When he reported with Hux, they stood side by side and he could pretend to be more than he was, but reporting to Snoke  _ alone  _ was an exercise in submission. 

“Kylo Ren,” Snoke said, “you have been hiding things from me.”

Kylo felt a chill crawl up his back.

_ Of course Snoke knew.  _ Snoke knew  _ everything.  _

“I don’t understand why,” Snoke continued. 

“I thought you would disapprove, Master,” Kylo confessed, “but I believe that my arrangement with the General --”

“ _ Which  _ arrangement, Ren?” Snoke asked, and he sounded horrifyingly amused. “Training him in the Force, or sharing his bed?”

Kylo was glad for his helmet, so Snoke couldn’t see the humiliated flush on his face. Further, he was glad Hux wasn’t there - he would have enjoyed this conversation even less if it was being had with his lover standing next to him.

“Both, Master,” Kylo replied, “and I believe they are beneficial -- I have felt stronger more anchored to the Dark Side since I Force-bonded with Hux, and cultivating his power will make him a better General.”

Snoke was silent for a long moment, slowly contemplating Kylo, and the Knight tensed, sure this would be it, that Snoke would dismiss Hux as an attachment Kylo needed to discard, inform him he was not allowed to continue training him or being with him, that he was to be reassigned to a different ship to separate him from this distraction.

“I agree,” Snoke said slowly. “You are more powerful with him, and he is more powerful with you.” A slow smile worked its way across the Supreme Leader’s face. “I offered him to you , and you to him, for a reason, Kylo Ren. Because together, you are greater than you could ever be apart. I will see you both continue to grow.”

Kylo felt relief wash over him. Of course - he should have known all along. Snoke had shown him how every temptation of the Dark Side had been him; Hux had been a temptation of the Dark Side, which meant that Snoke had wanted them together.

“Thank you, Master,” Kylo said, and he didn’t even bother to disguise the relief in his voice.

“Return to your work, Kylo Ren. And inform General Hux that I will be expecting reports on the construction of Starkiller Base, and from both of you on his progress with the Force.” Kylo nodded, and then waited for the hologram to disappear before he stood and fled the room.

It was strange, to watch Hux demonstrate his capabilities of Force manipulation for Snoke. Stranger still to watch how pleased Snoke seemed, when he himself had told Hux not to pursue developing the talent.

But perhaps he had meant only to save the General for the correct teacher.

Kylo liked that idea. He wanted it to be the truth.

Progress on Starkiller Base proceeded exactly according to Hux’s schedule, and with the resources from the Elrood system and the  _ extremely  _ favorable deal that the Radell Corporation had been talked into (and Kylo was fairly proud of himself for that, frankly) it was proceeding under budget.

Their interactions in front of their troops still had the veil of antagonism, but that was because they were still both stubborn and strong-willed men with remarkably different command styles. And priorities. Hux had worlds to conquer and weapons to build -- all Kylo wanted was one damned map to  _ one damned Jedi. _

Leave it to Uncle Luke, he supposed, to be professionally impossible to find.

The map hunt was progressing far slower than construction on Starkiller Base, and it was endlessly frustrating. He’d picked up a few more pieces, but they were all smaller chunks of the grander thing, and frankly if Kylo hadn’t already wanted to murder his uncle (because surely that would tip him the rest of the way into the Dark, surely he would stop hearing the call of the Light entirely with Luke Skywalker dead at his feet) the sheer process of  _ finding _ him would have well and settled his homicidal urges.

“I bet he has the whole fucking thing on that damn R2 unit of his,” Kylo complained, halfway through plopping himself into Hux’s lap. In theory, he was too tall and gangly to fit in Hux’s office chair  _ with  _ the General, especially when he was sitting  _ across  _ it, with his legs on the armrest, but frankly he was going to make it work.

“R2 unit?” Hux asked, and he managed to make it sound like an idle curiosity, not looking up from the datapad he was reading - though he did slide a supportive arm around Kylo’s back, pulling him a little closer.

“R2-D2. The oldest droid I have ever seen in my  _ life,  _ it served in the  _ Clone Wars.”  _ Kylo waved a hand. “Sweary little thing, too.” Kylo’s droid vocabulary was infinitely more colorful than his parents had ever been aware, thanks to that unit. C3PO had always looked horrendously offended at how naturally Ben Solo picked up profanities in other languages.

“You sound like you  _ know _ the unit.” Hux wasn’t bothering to disguise his curiosity now, had set the datapad aside and was eyeing Kylo with a distinct sort of interest.

“Of course I do, I --” Kylo blinked, stared up at Hux, and pressed just a bit into his mind -  _ Hux had no idea.  _ “No one ever told you.”

“Your past is a closed book, Kylo, even to me.” Hux said. “Except what I saw in dreams, and the rumors passed around, I never knew anything about you.” Kylo wrinkled his nose. He didn’t  _ want  _ to have this conversation, but given that he had already tripped into it…

He just hoped Hux didn’t think less of him, for who his parents were.

“I know Luke Skywalker’s droid because Luke Skywalker is my uncle.” He said. Hux exhaled, a soft  _ “oh” _ of surprise passing his lips. “My parents are Leia Organa and Han Solo, and my name -- before -- was Ben. Ben Solo. My, um.” Kylo swallowed.  _ Please don’t let him compare me to Vader and find me lacking, I do enough of that myself, please.  _ “My grandfather is Anakin Skywalker. Darth Vader.”

“And that’s why you admire Vader so much? And...why you’re so invested in the hunt for Skywalker?” Hux’s tone was gentle, as if he was afraid he would accidentally send Kylo into a rage (as if Kylo could  _ ever  _ do violence on the General outside the bedroom).

“Yes,” Kylo said, and he pressed just a little closer to Hux, burying his face in his lover’s uniform. “Skywalker abandoned me. Practically handed me to Snoke. He was an incompetent teacher and --” Kylo stopped, and sighed. “I don’t want to talk about Luke Skywalker, except in the context of how I’m going to  _ find him and kill him.” _

He felt Hux inhale, and then the redhead nodded against the top of his head.

“Fine, then. What’s your next lead?” He asked, and Kylo relaxed easily into strategic planning with his General.

_ Much _ easier than dealing with his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO, we may be drawing close to a finish -- I'm looking at doing a fairly large timeskip to take us to the events of the movie (because writing the destruction of Starkiller in this AU is going to be exactly the kind of suffering I love) but!
> 
> WE ARE NOT DONE. There will, in fact, be a sequel (MAYBE TWO, this whole concept has gotten so far away from me I don't know what I'm doing anymore); details to be forthcoming~ It uh. May end up a redemption AU. I'M SO SORRY.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND HERE WE MAKE IT TO THE EVENTS OF THE MOVIE. 2-3 more chapters after this, I think, and then we'll be onto the sequel? We'll see!

Kylo continued to be amazed at Hux’s growth with the Force. In the three years it took to complete Starkiller Base, he went from only a fledgeling knowledge to an incredible grasp of the nuances of the Force. It took Kylo’s breath away to watch him manipulate it, to know that all of this growth had been under _his_ tutelage.

Hux still refused a lightsaber, said it would be far too blatant, still insisted on keeping his abilities a secret - but that was alright, because he also always insisted on being outside any kind of close combat situation, and if he was in one, Kylo was practically glued to his side. There were jokes, rumors, snide comments - Kylo had stopped being “Snoke’s dog” and started being “Hux’s dog”, but he didn’t mind. Neither, it seemed, did Hux. And if they were sometimes a little more affectionate in public than was necessary between co-commanders, well, Kylo had also all but moved into Hux’s rooms, on Starkiller and on the _Finalizer,_ so there were worse things their officers could pick at.

And he had managed to pull together almost the entire map - from scattered pieces and from old Imperial archives and a dozen other places.

He was missing the final piece, but soon, Kylo and the First Order would have the entirety of the map to Skywalker.

And if his information was correct - and it had been better in recent months - the last piece was on Jakku.

Fitting, the the site of the Empire’s final loss would be where the First Order secured a major _victory._

He stole a brief kiss from Hux before he left to meet Phasma and her troops. Apparently they were taking an untested squad - he wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but every set of ‘Troopers needed to be bloodied somewhere, and he supposed a village of Resistance supporters was as good a test as it got.

Besides, he was looking forward to meeting Lor San Tekka again.

He would be landing once the ‘Troopers had cleared most of the resistance out, and ideally, he would scoop up Tekka and the map and be gone.

That was not, at all, what happened. Tekka had pressed and pushed, brought up his _family_ , and a shove of power into the old man’s mind told him he no longer had the map, and so now Tekka was dead at his feet.

And there was something coming at him - Kylo jerked, turned, raised a hand, and held the blaster bolt in mid-air. It was as easy as breathing, now, even in combat situations, because he had far too much practice with people trying to put bolts through him, or Hux, or Phasma.

His eyes followed the trajectory, and he swore several times under his breath, too quiet for the vocal modulator in his helmet to pick up.

He knew who it was, and why Tekka no longer had the map, before his Troopers dragged the man back.

 _Poe fucking Dameron._ Because apparently it was “Ben Solo comes back to haunt Kylo Ren” day. He was glad for the mask, because it hid the wash of emotions that surely played out on his face watching Troopers pat down Poe and then kick his legs out from under him.

He knelt, to look Poe in the face, to consider what fifteen years had done to the man who had once been a dear friend - when he was _Ben Solo_ and sometimes took breaks from his Jedi training and those breaks sometimes landed him on D’Qar with the fledgeling Resistance. Poe’s mother had been a fine pilot and a friend of his mother’s, and Ben and Poe had formed an easy comradeship.

Kylo grit his teeth.

_Now was not the time to think about the past._

“So who talks first? You talk first?” Poe asked, and Kylo wanted to laugh. Still a snarky piece of shit, then.

“The old man gave it to you.” Kylo said, and he was glad for how the modulator evened out his tone.

“It’s just very hard to understand you with all the…” Poe jerked his head, and Kylo rolled his eyes from behind the mask, and he wondered if Poe knew who it was under the helmet - if he knew he was running his mouth to Ben Solo and was counting on that to save him. “Apparatus.”

Or maybe Poe Dameron was just very, very cocky.

“Search him,” Kylo ordered, standing up. The Troopers hauled Poe back to his feet, and proceeded with another rough pat down.

“Nothing, sir,” one said finally.

“Put him on board,” Kylo ordered. Poe would be interrogated on the _Finalizer,_ would give up the map’s location eventually - even if Kylo had to pry it out of his head.

He suspected that would be necessary; no one who snarked at Kylo Ren was going to break under simple interrogation.

Phasma strode over, glancing back at the troopers briefly.

“Sir, the villagers.” She said. Kylo considered.

Best not to let word get back.

“Kill them all.” He ordered. Phasma nodded, not an ounce of hesitation.

He liked Phasma.

“On my command!” She declared, and then - “FIRE!”

All of the Troopers followed her order.

Except one.

Kylo narrowed his eyes, but - well, Troopers were Phasma’s problem. He would mention it to her, if she hadn’t noticed herself.

He turned on his heel, heading back to his ship, but then -

There was something, a flicker in the Force, and he turned, staring long and hard at the Trooper. Blood marked his helmet - Kylo wondered whose. He was hesitating, even when the rest of the troops were already on the move.

Kylo pressed with his powers, sank into the Trooper’s mind with little resistance, and found it - _doubt._ Doubt, and a blooming of the _Light._

He would _definitely_ need to speak to Phasma about that one. FN-2187, he combed the man’s designation from his mind.

He let go of the blaster bolt, felt the roll of shock off the Trooper, and strode back to his command shuttle.

Phasma would need time with her troopers to debrief, and Kylo was definitely not ready to rifle around his childhood best friend’s mind.

Instead he sought out Hux, and was slightly disappointed to find him on the bridge. He didn’t want to continue being the unbendable Kylo Ren, he wanted to curl up in Hux’s lap and whine frustratedly about the continued, insistent difficulty of getting the damn map.

It was the _last fucking piece,_ why was this so _hard?_

He slid in next to Hux, was pleased to feel a warm greeting from his lover in his mind even if the General’s voice was clipped and professional.

“Have you recovered the map piece?” Hux asked.

“Not yet.” Kylo replied. “There were... _complications._ ” The details were pressed into Hux’s mind, tinged with the frustrated whine Kylo wanted to express out loud. Hux exhaled heavily.

“I presume you’ll deal with them,” he said, and then he reached over, a risk of public physical touching, and squeezed Kylo’s hand. It wasn’t what the Knight had _wanted,_ per se, but it would have to do until Hux was off duty.

“Interrogators will be handling the pilot. I’ll give them some time to work. We don’t have forever - when your men get bored of slapping him around, find me.” Kylo said, and he turned to leave. “And don’t wait too long.”

 _Force,_ he wanted to drag Hux off the bridge with him and work out his frustrations on the General. Apparently, that was not going to happen.

He stalked off to meditate instead.

He lost track of time, until he felt Hux gently nudging him.

_He lost consciousness. They’ve thrown up their hands - your turn, love._

Kylo stood up and stretched.

 _I’ll pry it out of him._ For the first time, he felt apprehensive. This was _Poe,_ could he really…?

 _Are you alright?_ Hux asked. Apparently he’d projected.

 _I knew him. When I was Ben._ That was as much explanation as he would give - as much as Hux needed, apparently, because he sent a wash of warm reassurance.

 _Your methods are quicker than my interrogator’s - you’re saving him pain. I can attempt it myself, if you would prefer not to root around in his head._ Hux offered. Kylo shook his head, even though he knew the other man couldn’t see.

_I’ll do it._

He strode to Poe’s cell, slipped in, and waited.

When Poe finally stirred, Kylo was lounging, and he saw a brief flicker of - something, in the pilot’s eyes.

“I had no idea we had the best pilot in the Resistance on board.” That was a lie - Kylo knew Poe’s reputation and knew his face, but if he distanced himself from Ben, if Poe didn’t already know who was under the helmet, maybe he could press on.  “Comfortable?” He asked, and it came out as a sarcastic drawl even with the helmet’s modulation.

“Not really,” Poe replied. Kylo was a little impressed that he still managed bubbling sarcasm.

“I'm impressed.  No one has been able to get out of you what you did with the map.” He said, and that was true. Poe refused to break, and he could admire that.

“Might wanna rethink your technique.” Poe shot back, and Kylo wanted to laugh, but he pushed down the urge.

(The call from the Light _burned,_ for a moment.)

Kylo reached out, started pressing and pushing and _shoving_ with the Force, as if a vicious employment of the Dark Side would chase away the aching pull of the Light.

He watched Poe’s face twist, felt a sting of guilt, shoved it away.

“Where is it?” He demanded.

“The Resistance will not be intimidated by you.” Poe hissed between gritted teeth.

“ _Where. Is. It.”_ Kylo shoved, and Poe screamed, and _there it was,_ Poe sticking it into the multi-reader of an orange-and-white BB-unit.

He spun, let Poe go, ignored his pained gasps. When he stroed out of the interrogation room, Hux was waiting.

“It’s in a droid. A BB unit.” Kylo said, and he shoved the image he’d plucked from Poe’s mind into Hux’s. The General nodded tightly.

“Well then. If it’s on Jakku, we’ll soon have it.” Hux replied, full of certainty. Force _,_ Kylo loved it when he looked like that.

“I leave that to you.” He said.

He strode off, intending to speak to Phasma and then return to his meditations.

And then, the excrement hit the ventilation.

That Trooper of Phasma’s, FN-2187 -- and Kylo flung out with the Force, reached for him, felt _surprise_ and _fear_ and under it all _courage_ and a little bit of something else and he swore, violently, out loud, in Shyriiwook - which sounded even more vicious twisted by his modulator.

He stormed to the bridge, heard Hux and some officer - _Lieutenant_ _Mitaka,_ right - snapping orders back and forth.

“General Hux.” He said, and Hux turned to face him. “Is it the Resistance pilot?”

“Yes, and he had help.” Hux sounded exactly as pleased as Kylo _felt,_ that is, _not at fucking all._ “From one of our own. We're checking the registers now to identify which Stormtrooper it was.” Kylo wrinkled his nose unpleasantly behind the helmet.

“The one from the village. FN-2187.” He said. He pressed the bundle of emotions he’d picked up from the Trooper to Hux, and Hux’s thought process briefly descended into a string of creative swears. Kylo turned on his heel and stormed out.

He was going to rifle his way through the minds of every Trooper on the damn _Finalizer,_ if he had to. There would be no more defections. This would _not_ happen again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 90% of the dialogue here is straight out of the screenplay and many blessings to the friend who delivered it to me.


	15. Chapter 15

Hux wanted to pace. Hux really, really, _really_ wanted to pace. He had not felt this antsy in a long time - one of their own, defected, flying off with a Resistance pilot.

With _the_ Resistance pilot. Poe Dameron, who undoubtedly had an incredible depth of knowledge that could have been extracted if they’d had him for longer.

Never mind that Kylo was doing little better, which meant his lover’s bubbling frustration was reinforcing his own.

He wanted to get off the bridge, find Kylo, and bend him over the nearest hard surface until both of them had worked out all their stress and aggravation and could go back to their respective jobs.

Unfortunately, with the hunt for FN-2187 and Dameron’s BB-unit in full swing, he couldn’t afford to be anywhere but the command bridge of the _Finalizer._

Damn his responsibilities, and damn the Resistance for making them more time-consuming.

And then _Snoke_ called.

This, Hux mused, was not how he had wanted to get away from his bridge responsibilities.

“Supreme Leader,” he greeted, as Kylo slipped in next to him.

“Do you have the map?” Snoke asked. He felt Kylo flinch, wanted to reach over and support him, but that would be pressing too much in front of Snoke, he suspected. The Supreme Leader tolerated their relationship, but Hux was reluctant to see what he would do with evidence directly in front of him.

“No,” Kylo said, and Hux knew that without the mask, he would have sounded guilty, downcast.

“My soldiers are scouring the surface of Jakku for the droid currently in possession of it.” Hux said quickly, before Snoke could issue a reprimand. The hologram settle back on his throne chair, regarded them both slowly.

“Recover the droid if you can, but destroy it if you must. The most important thing is that the map not fall into the hands of the Resistance.” Snoke said. Hux felt Kylo’s surprise.

“But, Master -” Kylo began.

“Are you questioning me, apprentice?” Snoke asked. Kylo swallowed. Hux felt the urge, once more, to reach over and comfort him.

“No, Master, I am merely confused.” He said, and not even his modulator could hide how cowed he sounded.

“Skywalker will die, one way or another, my apprentice, and there are other maps to the first temple. Do not allow this one to fall into Resistance hands.”

Kylo nodded, and Hux gave a sharp nod of acknowledgement as well.

The hologram flickered out, and they exited the chamber side by side. Once they were out of it, Hux gave into the desire to comfort, placing his hands on Kylo’s upper arms and squeezing.

Kylo inhaled.

“The bridge?” He asked. Hux nodded, and they strode off. “I want the map,” he said, and there was a sharpness in his tone, and a boiling frustration.

“Supreme Leader Snoke was explicit,” Hux said, trying to keep his tone as even as possible. “Recover the map if we can, but destroy it if we must.” _Not that I pretend to understand his sudden disinterest in finding Skywalker._ It didn’t make sense, not after driving Kylo in that hunt for three years, punishing him - sometimes brutally - for failures.

“How capable are your soldiers, General?” Kylo shot back. He was baiting him, and Hux knew it. Could feel the extra layer to their bickering through the Force.

“I won’t have you question my methods,” Hux replied bitingly, eagerly rising to the taunt. They both needed this - the angry verbal repartee and the _physical_ repartee that would come after.

“They’re obviously skilled at committing high treason.” If Kylo’s mask were off, Hux could picture the taunting smirk that would be on his face, could almost hear the unmodulated drawl of his sarcasm. “Perhaps Leader Snoke should consider using a clone army.”

The old point of argument, a three-year-old dance, and Hux knew the steps by heart.

“My men are exceptionally trained,” he said, and followed with _you smug little shit_ , where only Kylo could hear, and felt amusement in return, “programmed from birth--”

“Then they should have no trouble retrieving the droid. Unharmed.” Kylo said, and he was literally radiating smug satisfaction.

“Careful, Ren,” Hux said, dropping his tone and noticing the subtle way it made Kylo shiver, “that your personal interests not interfere with orders from Leader Snoke.”

“I want the map,” Kylo said. “For your sake, I suggest you get it.” He turned and swept off the bridge, with a little taunt - _coming, General?_

Hux waited for a long moment, hoping not to make it too obvious, but he couldn’t wait forever. Picking fights when they were both angry at things other than each other was practically foreplay.

“Lieutenant Mitaka,” he said finally, “you have the bridge.” He started out.

“Sir!” Mitaka said, and Hux stopped, and turned around very slowly. Mitaka gulped, and he felt the man’s fear through the Force.

“Surely you can handle a simple search and recovery mission. Unless you wish to inform me that is beyond you.” The threat to replace him with someone less blatantly incompetent was well and enough implied.

“No, sir,” Mitaka said.

“Good.” Hux stormed off the bridge.

Finding Kylo was easy enough - he was waiting outside Hux’s quarters, and as soon as the General arrived, Kylo was keying in the override without even looking.

“Took you long enough,” the Knight breathed as he stumbled backwards through the door, taking off his helmet and discarding it somewhere.

“I couldn’t exactly go blatantly chasing after you,” Hux said, and then he stepped forward and pulled Kylo down to kiss him heatedly.

“Yes, you could have,” Kylo murmured against his lips, “they knew where you were going anyway.” It was true, of course, but Hux liked to pretend it wasn’t. “They respect you anyway,” he said, and then he rolled his hips and Hux groaned and began to earnestly divest Kylo of his clothing with hands and the Force while the Knight did the same to him. That had become the easiest part, layers be damned.

“Do they,” Hux said, and he started backing Kylo towards the desk in his front room - the bed was definitely too far away, right then. He swept everything off it with a thought - organization later, and besides, Kylo would probably wreck the room anyway with uncontrolled power.

“For _taming_ Kylo Ren,” the Knight laughed, as his thighs bumped the desk. “As if anyone could.” Hux sank his teeth into Kylo’s neck, and Kylo moaned, tilting his head back. He pushed himself up onto the desk, spread his legs open, and Hux kissed lower, sucking bruises onto his collarbone and marking it with more bites. There were healing bruises left over from other sessions, and he drew his tongue over one, making Kylo’s breath hitch.

“Oh, I’d say I’ve come as close as anyone can,” Hux said, and he drew a finger over Kylo’s cock, already hard and leaking. Kylo hissed and reached around to dig his nails into Hux’s back, drawing angry red lines in the skin.

“Tease,” Kylo hissed, and Hux laughed.

“Not half as much as I’d like to be,” the General said, and he wrapped his hand around Kylo’s cock. His teeth continued to work down Kylo’s shoulders, and he soothed over the marks with his tongue, feeling Kylo shiver underneath him. “Do you want me?” He breathed.

“Fuck, yes,” Kylo moaned, rolling his hips forward. “I’ve been thinking about this all day.”

Hux held out a hand, and the lubricant flew from the bedroom into it. Kylo inhaled sharply, and Hux let go of his cock, squirting lube onto his fingers and sliding two into his lover. Kylo was far too eager for slow preparation, and they really didn’t have the time for it anyway. That would be saved for later, for a victory fuck once Hux’s Troopers brought back the droid and the map.

Once he’d stretched Kylo enough, he slid his fingers out, lubing up his cock and sliding into his lover. Kylo’s legs came up to wrap around his waist, and he set a punishingly rough pace, hands pressing bruises into Kylo’s lovely pale hips.

“Fuck, Kylo,” Hux groaned against his neck. “Always so hot and tight.” He felt Kylo’s hand travel up to his hair, raking through it and throwing it disastrously into disarray and then knotting into the loosened strands.

“ _Hux,”_ Kylo gasped, and Hux loved how his name sounded on Kylo’s lips. “Fuck, harder, just - _harder.”_

Hux slung his hands under Kylo’s legs, lifting them up and bending them back so he could get at a better angle. Kylo moved a hand between them, and Hux flung out with the Force, holding Kylo’s hand on the desk.

“You’re going to come on my cock,” he said, “and just that.” Kylo threw his head back and moaned, rutting desperately against Hux’s thrusts. He knew he’d gotten exactly the right angle when Kylo let out a strangled _squeal,_ and he felt a powerful pulse of pleasure over their Force connection. He hit that spot, over and over again, and felt Kylo writhe desperately. The wonderfully obscene noises tumbling from the Knight’s lips were plenty of encouragement, and feeling Kylo’s pleasure along with his own was a summarily wonderful blessing of their connection.

Kylo shuddered, and screamed, and came, and that was all it took to tip Hux over inside him, leaving them a sloppy mess of sweat and cum.

And there was a knock at the door, and Hux swore under his breath.

“Um, sir?” Mitaka, it was, sounding very nervous. “...Sirs?” He heard Kylo laugh, faintly, as Hux rested his head against his lover’s chest.

“Yes?” Hux ground out.

“We’re both here,” Kylo’s tone was strangely singsong, the way he got when he thought he was about to be delightfully clever. Hux could feel Mitaka’s concern spike.

“We were unable to acquire the droid on Jakku.” Mitaka said, clearly having decided to deliver the news as quickly as possible. Hux felt Kylo tense underneath him, which was frustrating when he’d just done all that work to get him to _relax._ “It escaped capture aboard a stolen Corellian YT-model freighter.” Hux felt something through the Force, a surge of panic from Kylo, and he reached up to stroke his lover’s hair, an effort to calm him down, but it was gone as quickly as it came - or pushed aside and suppressed, for the moment, at least.

“The droid,” Kylo began, and without his helmet the full effect of his sarcasm was clearly audible, “stole a freighter?” Hux had to stifle a laugh.

“Not exactly, sir,” Mitaka stammered, “It had help.” Kylo tapped a foot against a desk leg, idly. “We have no confirmation, but we believe FN-2187 may have helped in the escape --”

Something heavy flew off one of Hux’s shelves, slamming hard into the door.

“Anything else?” Kylo asked tightly.

“The two were accompanied by a girl.” Mitaka said. Hux jerked up. _Fuck,_ another complication.

He heard Mitaka sputtering outside the room, which meant Kylo was probably Force-choking him through the door.

“What girl?” Kylo snarled, and Hux tapped lightly on his stomach.

“He can’t answer you if he can’t breathe,” he pointed out, and Kylo gave him a very long, very frustrated look, before a thump outside the door told him Mitaka had been safely deposited on the ground.

“A - a scavenger, from Jakku, no one special, as far as we are aware.” Mitaka stammered.

“Put out an alert, to anyone who is willing to accept a First Order bounty. On the unit, and the girl, and the damn freighter. _Now,_ Lieutenant,” Hux ordered, and Mitaka scrambled desperately away from the door, obviously unwilling to deal with the combined displeasure of both of his superior officers.

Hux sighed and slowly disentangled from Kylo.

“Come on, shower, and then let’s see what we can salvage out of this Jakku disaster.” He said, and he nuzzled his face briefly against Kylo’s neck, where he had left plenty of bruises and bitemarks. Kylo nodded.

Upon return to the bridge, they were informed that an immediate return to Starkiller Base - direct orders from Snoke - was necessary.

Hux felt a strange certainty in his chest. Starkiller was ready, functional - that they were being called back to it could only mean one thing.

“The droid will soon be delivered to the Resistance,” Snoke said, almost as soon as Hux and Kylo stepped into the audience room on the base, “leading them to the last Jedi. If Skywalker returns, the new Jedi will rise.” Hux flinched under the blatant displeasure.

“Supreme Leader, I take full responsibility for this-” Hux began, but Kylo practically screaming _what are you doing???_ in his mind stopped him in his tracks.

 _Protecting you, and my men, Kylo -- better Snoke be furious with me than start ordering the execution of the Stormtroopers who failed._ Kylo was not pleased with that answer, Hux could tell.

“General!  Our strategy must now change.” Snoke said, interrupting anyway.

“The weapon.  It is ready.  I believe the time has come to use it.” Hux tried, because that seemed just as good an option as continuing to pursue a wild goose chase across the galaxy. “ We shall destroy the government that supports the Resistance, the Republic. Without their friends to protect them, the Resistance will be vulnerable, and we will stop them before they reach Skywalker.” He tried to sound more confident than he felt - it could make the Resistance more desperate, send them careening off after Skywalker all that much faster.

There was a long, silent moment, as Snoke regarded him. Hux pushed down his nerves, and met the hologram’s gaze.

“Go.  Oversee preparations.” Snoke said finally. Hux knew a dismissal when he heard one, but he reached out to brush Kylo with his mind, assure him that this would work out - that his plan was for the best.

Kylo stared up at Snoke, longing to follow Hux, to watch the preparations.

“There's been an awakening.  Have you felt it?” Snoke asked. Kylo inhaled.

He had, were he being honest. The flicker in the Stormtrooper on Jakku, but also so much more. He had wanted to ask Hux if he felt it too - but time was not on their side.

“Yes.” He said.

“There’s something more.” Snoke continued, and Kylo felt a tightness in his chest. He had been wary ever since Mitaka had delivered the report of the type of freighter the scavenger had stolen. “The droid we seek is aboard the Millennium Falcon.  In the hands of your father, Han Solo.”

He wanted to swear, to find a control panel to destroy, to channel his anger outward, but he couldn’t. Not now.

“He means nothing to me.” Kylo said, as much for Snoke as to convince himself.

Snoke did not look convinced, but then, he always looked sort of bored and dubious.

“Even you, master of the Knights of Ren, have never faced such a test.” Snoke said.

“By the grace of your training, I will not be seduced.” Kylo insisted. By Snoke’s training, by the gift of Hux’s presence in his mind - the Light could tear and pull and tug all it wanted.

Kylo Ren would not fall.

“We shall see.” Snoke said. “We shall see.” He nodded, looking almost satisfied.

Kylo turned and left, shaking from head to toe.

 _Are you alright?_ Hux asked, and he started, for a moment.

 _My father has the droid,_ Kylo replied, and that was enough answer for Hux. _I need to return to the Finalizer. To meditate. Call for me if you need me._

Assent, affirmation, and then Hux withdrew, back to handling the preparations to launch Starkiller’s world-destroying power.

Tucked into his meditation room on the _Finalizer,_ Kylo had never felt less at peace. Even here, in front of Vader’s remains, he could not shove off the aching, burning _pull_ of the Light.

“Forgive me. I feel it again. The pull to the light.” He whispered, desperately, to the helmet. But it wasn’t just an apology to Vader - it was, in a way, one to Hux as well, who deserved someone so much better and more sure of his path. “Supreme Leader senses it. Show me again, the power of the darkness, and I will let nothing stand in our way.” He was desperate, angry, reaching out, praying for some kind of answer. “Show me, Grandfather, and I will finish what you started.”

Hux dug his nails into his palms, breathing slowly. He knew something was deeply wrong - had felt the burning pull in Kylo, before the other man had gently pushed him out of his head. Now Kylo was tucked into his meditation chambers, probably trying to draw resolve from Vader.

Hux exhaled.

He wanted to be there with him, physically, to help him prepare for what was ahead. They had received information about the droid’s location, a call from a spy on Takodana who had seen it, and the girl, and the traitorous Stormtrooper and he had informed Kylo of the location - but the spy had also seen _Han Solo._

Hux should have been on the _Finalizer,_ holding Kylo while they flew to Takodana and encouraging him as he ran off to face his father.

He couldn’t.

Because it was time.

He had rehearsed this speech, over and over, run it backwards and forwards - often to Kylo’s amusement; he insisted it sounded fine, and that Hux was spending far too much time on a rallying speech for people who did not need to be rallied.

Hux insisted it was necessary anyway.

He took his place on the platform, looking over the massive regiment of Stormtroopers, and inhaled.

“Today is the end of the Republic!” He began, fiercely. “The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder!  At this very moment, in a system far from here the New Republic _lies_ to the _galaxy_ while secretly supporting the treachery of the loathsome Resistance.” He could feel his voice getting louder, raising to a fever pitch. This was where he belonged, just as much as he belonged in a sniper’s nest. “This fierce machine which you have built, upon which we stand, will bring an end to the Senate!  To their cherished fleet! All remaining systems will bow to the First Order!  And will remember this... as the last day of the Republic!”

He watched, as the weapon opened and prepared to fire.

Watched the arc of power, felt Kylo in the back of his mind awed by the sheer destructive capability unleashed before them.

He was not prepared for what the death of an entire system, all at once, would feel like through the Force.

In what should have been his moment of triumph, only sheer will kept General Hux on his feet, as agony coursed through him. The death throes of billions of souls, screaming in horror all at once and being, just as suddenly, silenced.

 _Are you alright?_ Kylo sounded panicked, in his head -- confirmed, briefly, that he had felt the same pain.

_I’ll be fine. Go to Takodana. Get the droid. Make this worth it._

If anything at all could.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god this chapter ran so much longer than i expected it to
> 
> OH WELL

Kylo had himself mostly under control by the time he landed on Takodana. As much as could be expected, he supposed, when he had just been torn to pieces by the deaths of an entire system.

He could feel Hux, lightyears away on Starkiller Base, curled into a ball in his quarters and drinking brandy straight out of the bottle. It was...as good a coping mechanism as any, he supposed. He left Hux with a gentle touch of concern, and a reminder not to drink  _ too  _ much.

_ I can handle myself, _ Hux shot, but it was weaker, shakier than normal. Kylo breathed slowly, calming himself, as he swept his shuttle in. He would be back with Hux soon enough, with the droid and the map, and he could pluck the bottle from Hux’s fingers and swear to him they would never fire the damned thing again because  _ nothing,  _ not even galactic domination, was worth that kind of waste of life.

As soon as he stepped off his shuttle, a Trooper was directing him to the woods - which sounded like a  _ delightfully merry chase  _ waiting to happen.

Even Dameron’s goddamn  _ droid  _ was a little shit.

And there was something in the forest - a pinpoint, a flicker of Force energy.

Kylo stormed after it, igniting his lightsaber. 

He had to deflect a blaster shot, ducked around, parried off another and another - this had to be her, the scavenger girl from Jakku, the one who had helped the traitor Stormtrooper escape.

He could hear the sound of ships in the distance - Resistance X-Wings.

_ Shit,  _ he thought, and he hadn’t meant to project, but a slightly slurred  _ don’t spend too long there  _ came back.

_ Thank you, General, your sloppy drunken advice is appreciated. _ Kylo shot back, and then he lashed out with the Force, froze the girl in place. He prowled in, felt the fear roll off her in waves.

She seemed familiar. Kylo shoved it away. Not the time, he would work out why he felt like he recognized this slip of a girl later.

“The girl I’ve heard so much about.” He said, and he watched her face, watched how she struggled to keep her emotions - her fear - under control. As if he couldn’t practically smell it in the air.

Sometimes the mask was a hindrance, but right now, it was a blessing, because he knew it made him all the more terrifying.

“The droid.” He brought up his lightsaber, watched her eyes widen. “ _ Where is it?” _ He flicked off the weapon - it was unnecessary, since he wasn’t planning to cut her up.

And then he shoved his way into her head, rattling around for the knowledge he needed, and found something far more interesting.

“The map. You’ve seen it.”  _ Perfect.  _ No need to chase a droid through the Takodana jungle, he could just pry the information from her head --

_ Kylo Ren don’t you fucking dare,  _ Hux slurred in the back of his mind.  _ You are going to find that fucking droid so we have a fucking hard copy and so the fucking Resistance can’t get the fucking map - REN I SWEAR TO FUCK -  _

_ You’re the one who told me not to stay too long, _ Kylo replied. A Trooper came crashing throguh the brush to him.

“Sir, Resistance fighters!  We need more troops.” The Trooper demanded. Kylo glanced over at the girl, tried to push off Hux’s frustrated swearing.

“Pull the division out. Forget the droid. We have what we need.” And with a gesture, she collapsed in front of him.

_ Do you do these things just to make my life more difficult? _ Hux asked, and he sounded plaintive and frustrated.

_ It will be fine, love. I’ll pry the map from her mind and reproduce it. Our ships are far faster and more capable than anything the Resistance might have, and there’s no guaranteeing they even have the rest. _ Kylo said, scooping her up and carrying her back to the shuttle.  _ Relax. And try to sober up by the time I’m back. _

He chose to believe the string of increasingly creative insults Hux hurled at him across their connection were done out of affection, rather than actual aggravation.

He forcibly ignored the fiery tug of the Light when he strode back to his shuttle.

His father was here. It didn’t  _ matter  _ that his father was here, didn’t matter that he could hear someone screaming a name -  _ Rey  _ \- didn’t matter that name was familiar the same way the girl in his arms was.

He would deal with it  _ later,  _ damn it.

By the time he got back to Starkiller Base, Hux was mostly sober - or at least functional - and was certainly functional enough to lecture him the entire way down to depositing the girl in one of the interrogation rooms.

Really, it was just a more sober, composed version of the lecture he had already gotten, and so he could pay attention to the prisoner, once he had her secured in the interrogation chair, try to determine why she felt so damn familiar, and why her name stuck out in his head.

In the end, it was the hairstyle that tripped his memory.

He knew that hair, those three silly little ponytail-buns, because he had dressed her hair like that a thousand times.

He inhaled sharply.

“Oh,” he said,and Hux paused mid-sentence, clearly feeling the change in his mood.

“ _ What. _ ” Hux said, and he still managed to maintain some of his frustration.

“She shouldn’t be alive.” Kylo said, and he knew that answered exactly zero of the questions currently swirling around in Hux’s head.

“Of course not, because you should have ripped the droid’s location from her mind and then killed her and we would be on our way to  _ Skywalker,  _ right now,” Hux grumbled bitterly. Then, a pause. “That’s not what you meant.”

“She was.” Kylo swallowed, feeling his mouth go dry, and he pulled off the helmet, needing to look Hux in the face for this. “She’s my  _ cousin,  _ Hux. I thought she...I thought she died, that night, in the temple.” He watched Hux’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly, watched as he glanced between the two of them, watched the dawning recognition of family resemblance.

“She’s Skywalker’s daughter.” Hux said. Kylo nodded.

“Her mother died not long after she was born. Was...was killed, really.” His voice was soft, and he couldn’t manage to make it louder. “Bad things happen to people Skywalkers love.” He glanced back at the unconscious girl in the chair. “I tried...to spare the younger ones, they’d never done anything wrong and some of them were so  _ little,  _ Rey was just  _ four,  _ so I thought...I thought maybe if I threw them around with the Force, knocked them unconscious, the rest of the Knights would assume they were dead. But. I was wrong.” He inhaled. “Talyra - she’s. My second in command, now, running things with the Knights while I’m stationed with you - she gave the death stroke to all the ones I tried to spare.  _ ‘Every Jedi must die, _ ’ she told me, and I thought. I thought she got Rey, too.”

Hux pulled him close, held Kylo against his chest, and Kylo distantly registered that he was starting to shake. 

“Do you need me to do this for you? Pull the map out of her head?” Hux asked, gloved hand gently stroking over Kylo’s hair. Kylo shook his head against Hux’s chest, taking long, slow breaths to calm himself.

“I’ll do what needs to be done.” He said, and Hux nodded, pressing his lips to Kylo’s forehead and turning to leave.

Kylo put the mask back in place, and waited.

When Rey woke up, he had almost convinced himself he could actually do this. He’d done it to Poe, this was no different.

“Where am I?” She asked, looking around desperately.

“You're my guest.” Kylo replied smoothly. If he hadn’t already been sure, hearing her voice was it - she  _ sounded  _ like his cousin, aged 15 years older, but still --  _ still Rey.  _

“Where are the others?” She asked, and there was a surprising fire in her tone.

“You mean the murderers, traitors and thieves you call friends?” Kylo asked, and there was a note of bitterness, and he wanted to laugh at the fierce glare she shot him. “You’ll be relieved to know I have no idea.” And he didn’t really care. He had what he needed. He tilted his head tot he side, watched her, felt the fury rippling off her in waves. “You still want to kill me,” he said, and it was an interesting revelation. Did she even remember cousin Ben? Probably not - and she certainly didn’t know he was  _ Kylo Ren. _

“That happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask.” Rey sneered. Kylo considered, for a long moment.

And then he unlatched the mask and set it aside.

He watched her start, pressed a little to see if it was from recognition -- but no, she was just surprised there was a human under there. Was surprised by his youth, the way most were. (The way Hux had been, once.)

“Tell me about the droid,” he said. 

“He's a BB unit with a selenium drive and a thermal hyperscan vindicator -” She started in on technical specs, and he felt a thrill of amusement. Her father’s daughter indeed; Luke had been just as clever with droids. But that was not what he needed.

“He's carrying a section of a navigational chart. We have the rest, recovered from archives of the Empire. We need the last piece. And somehow, you convinced the droid to show it to you.  You. A scavenger.” And so much more, but she didn’t know that. Didn’t need to know that, just yet.

She flinched backwards, looking horrified. Ben Solo would have felt guilty. 

(Kylo Ren did too, a little.)

“You know I can take whatever I want.” He said, and he pressed forward, watched as she flinched away --

And there was a  _ spark,  _ and he nearly jumped back, because he hadn’t felt something like that since --

Since he had first met Hux’s eyes, in the hangar bay of the  _ Finalizer,  _ three years before, and felt the powerful spark of their Force connection.

He inhaled sharply. He shouldn’t be surprised -- and besides, she was untrained, likely not even  _ aware,  _ so she couldn’t fight him.

He pressed again,  _ shoved  _ really, and there was an overwhelming wash of feelings and sensations, her mind laid bare for him.

“... You're so lonely... so afraid to leave…” Kylo breathed. He tried very hard not to sympathize too much. (He’d thought, sometimes, about leaving the First Order, about scooping Hux up and flying off into the black and finding some backwater planet somewhere where it could just be the two of them, no war and no Resistance and nothing else.) “At night, desperate to sleep... you imagine an ocean.  I see it -- I see the island…” He pressed, watched tears stream down her face, and there it was again, the kick of guilt that made his stomach flip.

He hoped his face was less expressive than Hux always insisted it was.

“And Han Solo.  You feel like he's the father you never had.” He wrinkled his nose, felt a surge of bitterness. Han had parented  _ Rey  _ better than he had ever parented  _ Ben.  _ “He would've disappointed you.”

“Get out of my head,” Rey sneered, struggling against the chair.

“I know you've seen the map.  It's in there... and now you'll give it to me.  Don't be afraid.  I feel it too.” Felt the crackling of the Force around them, felt her beginning to bend under his onslaught.

“I’m not giving you anything,” she snarled, as if his words had bolstered her.

“We’ll see.” Kylo said, and he shoved hard, and was startled when he ran into a block in her mind. 

And then  _ she started to fight back.  _ He struggled, pressed back against her, and then  _ she was in his head,  _ and she was rooting around, and Kylo felt panic rising. Vader never would have allowed this, no one had ever shoved into  _ his  _ mind --

“... You... you're afraid... that you will never be as strong as... Darth Vader!” She said, and then she kept going, and Kylo staggered back. “You’re afraid you’re going to -- you’re going to fail... _ him,”  _ and now she looked curious, and Kylo panicked, because his anxieties about failing his grandfather were all well and good but she  _ did not need to be rooting around through his feelings for Hux, _ and he started pressing back, trying to shove her out, and Hux must have sent his desperation because suddenly he was there, too, shoving Rey out.

Kylo had never fled an interrogation before, but he did then, stumbling out of the room and running down the hallway to the audience chamber.

Snoke was waiting. Snoke must have sensed his turmoil. 

“Master, she...she resisted my interrogations. More than that, she fought back.” Kylo gasped.

“This scavenger  _ resisted _ you?” Snoke sounded dubious, and Kylo found himself locking away his knowledge of her identity -- Snoke  _ could not know,  _ would order him to destroy her, surely.

“She’s strong with the Force,” Kylo said, “untrained, but -- stronger than she knows.” Like her father had been, once.

“And the droid?” Snoke asked. Kylo winced. 

“Ren believed it was no longer valuable to us.” Hux said, and Kylo jerked, half-turning to see the General walking in. His heart climbed into his throat. “That the girl was all we needed.” He glanced over towards Kylo, and Kylo wanted to shrink into the floor. He should have listened to Hux, shouldn’t have let himself get distracted -- “I agreed. Ren’s methods have yet to fail, and our ships are far better prepared to make the journey to Skywalker than anything possessed by the Resistance.”

_ Bullshit you did, Hux want the hell,  _ Kylo thought in a desperate frenzy.

_ If you want to prostrate your bad decisions before Snoke, be my guest, but telling him I thought it was a stupid decision serves neither of us. _ Hux replied, and it came with a sense of comfort, of care.

Hux was  _ protecting  _ him,  _ again.  _

“It was an unfortunate tactical error - we failed to forsee the possibility that a scavenger from Jakku might be Force-sensitive. As a result, the droid has most likely been returned to the hands of the enemy. They may have the map already.” Hux grit his teeth, sounded displeased to be saying it.

“Then the Resistance must be destroyed before they get to Skywalker.” Snoke said. 

“We have their location. We tracked their reconnaissance ship to the Ileenium system. We could send a fleet, or just the  _ Finalizer,  _ its complement of TIE fighters and Stormtroopers would be plenty to overrun their base,” Hux proposed. 

“No. We will not risk them escaping. Prepare the weapon.” Snoke said, and between the two fo them, there was a shared moment of mounting horror. 

_ Not again,  _ Hux thought, and Kylo could feel all the effort he was putting into schooling his face.

“Supreme Leader. I can get the map from the girl. I just need your guidance.” Kylo was practically pleading. The idea of feeling  _ that  _ all over again, of another system destroyed -- and surely somewhere in the Ileenium system was Leia Organa, who still reached for him sometimes, and he would feel her ripped out of existence and --  _ no no no no no. _

“If what you say about this girl is true, bring her to me.” Snoke said, and then he waved a hand, dismissing them both. 

No words were exchanged - Hux gathered Kylo into his arms outside the audience chamber, and for a very long moment, they just stood there in silence, holding each other and mutually steeling their resolve. 

“I should go get the girl,” Kylo said, finally.

“I have to begin preparations.” Hux said, but his voice shook, in a way Kylo hadn’t heard in the three years he had known him.

They separated, and Kylo started back to the cell, heart pounding. 

When he got there, it was empty.

“No!” He swore, angrily, scooping up his mask and putting it back in place.

And then he ignited his lightsaber and launched at the interrogation chair. Hux’s influence had, for the most part, cooled his anger, or at least - Hux was usually good about distracting him from wanting to destroy things.

Hux was busy preparing to destroy a second system. 

Kylo could destroy one goddamn room.

When he was done, he stood in the shower of sparks, breathing slowly and reaching out with the Force, feeling for Rey.

He stormed out of the room, sliding his lightsaber hilt back into its holster

“Sir,” a Trooper said, apparently feeling he was safe enough to approach, “sensors triggered in hangar 718. We’re searching the area.” Kylo nodded.

“She’s just beginning to test her powers.” He remembered Hux’s early experiments with Force kinesis or persuasion. “The longer it takes to find her, the more dangerous she becomes.”

The search, it seemed, was fruitless - and he couldn't get a tack on Rey’s Force signature. It was too fresh, too flickering.

“Sir, she was not found in hangar 718,” a Trooper informed him, “but all troops are on alert.”

“Put every hangar on lockdown. She’s going to steal a ship to ---”

He could feel something, a ripple in the Force.

“Han Solo.” He hissed.

_ The Resistance is coming, _ he informed Hux. His lover swore violently

_ Of course they are. We’ve made them desperate, cornered them, destroying the Hosnian system and then targeting the Ileenium -- their only choice is to try to destroy this base.  _ Hux said.  _ Our shields should hold. _

_ Han Solo is the advance team. I can feel him. And he is a master of ignoring the odds. _ Kylo sighed, out loud.  _ So if there’s some vulnerability that no one would be foolish enough to attempt to exploit, please assume he is going to exploit it. _

_ The refresh rate of the shields. Would he attempt to do a lightspeed entry into atmo?  _ Hux almost sounded impressed. It  _ was  _ a particularly clever level of sheer recklessness.

_ Yes. _ Kylo said.  _ I will find the girl. Prepare for the attack. _

Hux gave a sharp assent.

Kylo strode off, hoping desperately it wasn’t too late.

Hux inhaled slowly, digging his nails into his palms. He wanted to be back in his rooms, drinking away this already awful day, but no, Snoke wanted them to make a stupidly risky second shot of Starkiller, had apparently not even  _ considered _ that cornered, the Resistance might choose to attack.

“Report,” he snapped to the nearest officer.

“Weapon charged in fifteen minutes, sir.” The officer replied, and Hux reached out to grab the railing in front of him.

He did not make a habit of questioning the Supreme Leader, but this was idiotic. They couldn’t even be sure firing the damn thing twice in such a short period was  _ safe. _

He closed his eyes, and began to breathe slowly, loosing his awareness over the base. Kylo had taught him how to do it, and he didn’t often, but he reached for any unfamiliar minds.

He found them - and he found Phasma, in as close as she came to distress.

_ Captain? _ He reached out. She started, a little, but Phasma was aware of what he could do, had occasionally received orders by telepathy from him or from Kylo before.

_ Warn a girl before you do that, _ she said. He felt a twinge of amusement.

_ Apologies. What is your situation?  _ He asked.

_I’ve been cornered. FN-2187 is here. With Han Solo and his Wookie._ _They want me to lower the shields, are threatening to shoot me if I don’t._ She was clipped and professional, as she always was in combat.

_ Lower the shields, _ Hux ordered. 

Here it was. His opportunity to prevent the use of Starkiller a second time.

Just...let the Resistance onto the planet.

_ Our fleet will handle whatever they throw at us. _ A lie, but a good enough one for him and for her. He wouldn’t have Phasma wasting her life.

_ Are you sure? _ Phasma asked.

_ Yes. _ He wasn’t, not really. But he supposed that one way or another, there was going to be more death today. 

_ It’s done. Hux, they’re going to throw me down the garbage chute. Could you uh, send someone to retrieve me?  _ Phasma requested.

_ Of course. _ Hux replied, and he pulled out his comm. “Sanitation corps, prepare to retrieve Captain Phasma from the compactor. We have some extremely rude guests on base.” He said, and then he turned to his bridge crew. “Dispatch all squadrons.”

He reached for Kylo.

_ They’re coming,  _ he said.

_ I know. _ Kylo replied.  _ My father is already here. _

Hux grit his teeth. There were explosions in the distance, orders being shouted -- and then.

Silence. In his head.

He had felt Kylo’s presence there for three years - a low hum of his existence, if nothing else. For a moment, he feared the worst - but no, if he cast out, he could feel Kylo’s still-living Force presence.

Kylo was cutting him off.

“Fuck,” Hux muttered under his breath. Whatever Kylo was about to do, he didn’t want Hux in his head for it.

That worried him more than anything else.

Kylo strode through the doors of the oscillator, heart pounding. It was strange, to be without Hux’s always-calming presence, but he needed to be alone in his head to do this. (And he was fairly certain it was going to hurt like nothing had hurt before, and Hux needed to be focused on his job, and not on Kylo’s agony.)

He could feel them all, through the Force.

“Find them,” he ordered the Trooper squadron that had followed him in. 

He scoured the oscillator, chasing bits and fragments of Han’s ripple in the Force. Every time he thought he was getting close, it shifted.

Han Solo was slippery.

He exhaled through gritted teeth, strode across the bridge to try the other side.

“Ben!” 

He froze. Felt something cold crawl up his spine. Turned around, very slowly.

“Han Solo. I've been waiting for this day for a long time.” He said.

“Take off that mask. You don't need it.” Han said. Kylo swallowed.

Yes, yes he did, now more than ever when the Light was screaming inside him, when Snoke’s words were reverberating in his head.  _ You have never faced such a test. _

He knew what the test was.

He did not want to pass it.

“What do you think you'll see if I do?” Kylo asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt. The modulator helped.

“The face of my son.” Han said.

Kylo pressed back the urge to cry.

He reached up, removed the mask, dropped it to the bridge with a heavy  _ thunk. _

His chest hurt. He could feel Han’s surprise. And there it was, again, the burning urge to cry.

“Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish, like his father. So I destroyed him.” Kylo said.

He wished he believed that.

“That's what Snoke wants you to believe but it's not true. My son is alive.” Han insisted. Kylo wanted to drop his defenses, reach back for Hux, take certainty from his lover, but no, he couldn’t, not now, not when the Light was tearing him apart.

“No. My master is wise,” Kylo said, and he shook his head, firmly, like that would somehow make him more certain.

(He was  _ so  _ uncertain, so afraid, so desperate.)

“Snoke is using you for your power. When he gets what he wants, he'll crush you -- you know it's true.” Han took a step forward, reached for him. 

He knew it.

He really, really did.

“It’s too late.” Kylo’s voice dropped. It  _ was  _ too late. He had helped build Starkiller, had ended so many lives, had left so much evil in his wake.

“No it's not. Leave here with me. Come home.” Han paused, for a long time. “We miss you.” It was tender, gentle, familial.

For a moment, Kylo considered it. Considered fleeing, following his father back to the Falcon, giving himself to the Light.

If he asked, Hux would come, he was sure of it.

If he fled, alone, Hux would chase him.

He could have his family, and his lover, and he would be safe.

It was a nice dream. But Snoke would find him eventually. Snoke always found him. Snoke would bring him back. 

“I'm being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain.” Kylo said, and he felt tears prick at his face. Han took a step forward, and then stopped, and Kylo swallowed. “I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it.  Will you help me?” He asked.

It was cruel, but he had to do this, had to cut out one more attachment. Had to give himself fully to the Dark. That was the only thing that would silence the agony inside him.

“Yes. Anything.” Han said.

Kylo unholstered his lightsaber and extended it towards his father.   


For a long moment, he considered handing it over, kept considering that beautiful future where he was home and safe and free.

There had been a beam of sunlight on them, and suddenly, it went out.

Starkiller, sucking in the sun.

He took it as a sign.

Ignited the lightsaber.

Watched it penetrate his father’s chest.

“Thank you.” Kylo said.

Han reached out and touched his face, as he died.

Kylo had expected to see anger in his eyes, hatred, fury, even fear.

There was nothing but  _ forgiveness. _

The Light  _ blazed. _

He heard screams, watched Han start to fall, turned off his lightsaber and let him go.

And he very, very nearly fell to his knees and wept.

Snoke had seemed so certain that this would make him stronger.  _ He had been so certain it would. _

But it hadn’t, he could tell, it was making him weaker - because he had never hated his father, not really.

He heard a roar - Chewbacca,  _ Chewie,  _ another family member, and he knew what was coming. He could have stopped it.

He didn’t. 

The bowcaster tore his side open, and he hit his knees, and the Trooper squadron started firing - first at Chewie, and then at Rey and the traitorous Stormtrooper ( _ Finn,  _ she had thought of him as  _ Finn,  _ and Kylo found himself acknowledging the name because the man staring down at him with fierce eyes, wearing Poe Dameron’s jacket, was no cowed Trooper).

Kylo wanted to stop it all, to grab all that blaster fire and hold it, to let them escape.

He couldn’t.

He pushed himself up, pounded his fist against his side over and over - he needed the pain, needed it to focus him, needed to be able to access the Dark - stormed out of the oscillator.

He had to keep going. Had to stop Finn and Rey from escaping, had to -- had to maybe convince Rey to let him train her, to make her into a better Jedi than her father would.

He followed them through the Force, felt it ripple around them both, pushed through the snow and the wind and stopped when he saw them.

“We’re not done yet.” Kylo said, voice low.

“You’re a monster!” Rey shouted, and he flinched, squeezed his eyes shut, forced away the tears that longed to fall. She was right. He  _ was  _ a monster.

“It’s just us now. Han Solo can’t save you.” Kylo said, and he strode forward. She pointed a blaster at him - in the haze of pain , the Dark flowed to his fingers, and he waved a hand, throwing her into a tree.

“Rey! Rey! Rey... Rey... Oh no. Oh no no no…” Finn turned, ran to her, shook her unconscious form. 

“Traitor,” Kylo growled, and Finn locked eyes with him and stood up.

And ignited a bright blue lightsaber.

Kylo’s breath left his lungs.

“That lightsaber!” He knew it, immediately.  _ Luke’s -  _ no,  _ Anakin’s.  _ Vader’s. “It belongs to me!” It should, it was his by right, he had bene Luke’s student, was Anakin’s grandson.

“Come get it.” Fnn challenged. Kylo charged, swinging his lightsaber in a heavy arc.

They clashed, on surprisingly even terms. Finn must have trained as a melee trooper - or perhaps the ‘saber was communicating with him, KYlo couldn’t be sure which.

At least it wasn’t  _ easy. _

He hissed in pain when the ‘saber connected with his arm, burning a wound across it.

Just another pinprick of injury (another reason to be glad Hux wasn’t experiencing this along with him.)

There was nothing tactical or clever in his assault.  _ Tactical  _ and  _ clever  _ were Hux’s realm. Kylo Ren was a blunt instrument, and he fought like one, and finally, finally his blade slammed into the traitor Trooper’s torso and sent him down and sent the lightsaber hilt flying.

Kylo grinned and reached for it with the Force.

It shook, quaked in the snow, refused to come to him -- and then all at once, it shot free, and he felt a rush of elation --

It shot  _ past him -- _

He turned, and there it was.

In Rey’s hands.

She stared him down, ignited it -- and he brought up his ‘saber, and she leapt at him, and suddenly he was on the defensive. His heart raced. It had been a long time since he had felt in real danger, and here, he did. For a long moment, he sincerely considered letting her win.

The planet shuddered under him, and he felt a spike of horror.

_ Hux. _ He prayed, briefly, that Hux had more sense than Tarkin -- that he would know to flee, to leave his creation before it collapsed.

It was thinking of Hux that made him press back.

He could not die here. 

Behind Rey, the planet shuddered again, and a massive chasm opened up. Kylo felt a spike of horror. 

“You need a teacher!” His voice was desperate. If he could convince her to join him, they could escape together, surely. “I can show you the ways of the Force!”

“The Force…” Rey murmured, and then she closed her eyes, and Kylo’s stomach dropped.

When they opened again, she was on the attack, fierce, fiery, striking against him, forcing him to stumble back. He was on the defensive again, failing,  _ losing -  _ her blade struck his lightsaber’s hilt, sent it flying, and then in a flash, she struck his chest, and a long burn across his face.

He collapsed. 

She stood over him, lightsaber extended.

Kylo closed his eyes, prepared for the final blow.

It never came.

He opened them again, watched as another shattering in the planet’s surface carried her away.

With the last of his strength, he reached for Hux.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter left, AND THEN IT WILL BE SEQUEL TIME.


	17. Chapter 17

Kylo flooded back into Hux’s awareness as a dark shock of pain, and it made him stagger and clutch at his side. Phasma looked over with clear concern in her eyes, and opened her mouth to ask, but he waved her off.

_ Kylo! _ He flung out desperately.  _ Hold on, please. _

Snoke had ordered him to recover his apprentice, but Hux would have done it anyway. He could no more have left Kylo behind than he could have survived opening up his own chest and tearing his heart out.

_ Hux,  _ and there was Kylo’s voice in his mind, desperately, painfully weak.  _ Everything hurts. _

_ I’m coming, _ Hux encouraged, and he could feel Kylo’s Force presence, bright and warm and  _ close. _

“Touch down,” he ordered, and the Stormtrooper pilot brought the shuttle to the ground. 

“Do you want me to come?” Phasma asked, as Hux started for the shuttle door.

“I can carry him.” Hux said, voice firm. Phasma nodded.

“Come back. Bring him back. I’d be bored without you both.” She said. Hux gave her as close as he could manage to a smile, right then.

She practically shoved him off the shuttle.

He raced through the snow, praying no more cracks opened up between him and Kylo and the shuttle. That the planet’s collapse was happening how he thought it should. That he had as much time as he thought he did.

There was Kylo, a dark spot surrounded by far, far too much blood. Hux picked up speed, crouched next to his broken lover, and carefully cradled Kylo into his arms. He reached out a hand, and Kylo’s lightsaber flew into it from where it lay in the snow.

“Hux,” Kylo’s voice sounded broken, pained, as he sank against his chest. “I’m - I’m sorry I shut you out, I didn’t want you to feel…”  _ The Light,  _ Kylo finished, in his mind.

“So instead, you let me worry that you’d died,” Hux admonished, but it was gentle. “Let’s go. Phasma is waiting with a shuttle to take us back to the  _ Finalizer. _ ” Kylo nodded weakly and let Hux carry him back to the shuttle.

Somewhere along the way, Kylo fell unconscious. Only his Force presence told Hux he was still alive, and Hux clung to it through that long shuttle ride and through the days of Kylo’s recovery. Most of the injuries were self-cauterizing - lightsaber wounds, which meant Kylo had lost a duel, which seemed almost impossible to Hux, who was used to thinking of him as an unstoppable force on the battlefield, shredding through all before him. The real trouble came from a devastating bowcaster wound to the side, and frankly, Hux wasn’t sure how he had  _ moved _ with that ripping him open.

A little bit over and it would have killed him.

Kylo should have been able to stop it - Hux had a sinking feeling in his stomach that he had chosen not to. He had a thousand questions, but no one but Kylo would be able to answer them, and Kylo was barely clinging to life.

Hux stayed at Kylo’s bedside - or, tankside, for the first few days while Kylo recovered submerged in bacta - because there was no reason for him to pretend that he was anything but desperately devoted to the Knight. He only left for a meeting with Snoke, to inform the man of Kylo’s survival and receive a reinforcement of the orders to deliver Kylo to Snoke once he was recovered.

Hux was loathe to hand his lover over, but he saw no other choice. Even if the idea of submitting Kylo to whatever Snoke had in mind made him boil with fury.

Phasma was probably the only reason he was eating much of anything - the medbay staff was far too nervous and cowed (and giving Kylo’s bed a wide berth, as if they expected the Knight to wake at any moment and destroy the medbay as he had so many other rooms, or perhaps they expected their crack shot General to put one between their eyes if they pressed him) to bother him, but Phasma never let something like rank and protocol stop her from...much of anything, if it was personal.

She really was the closest thing to a friend he had.

It took two days in the bacta tank and another three in a medically-induced coma for Kylo’s injuries to heal. When he finally came out of it, he was dazed and a little broken, and he had stared at Hux’s hand in his like it was the only thing keeping him anchored to reality.

Given the tossed-about state of his thought process, perhaps it was.

Hux ran a thumb over Kylo’s hand, and Kylo looked up at him, eyes wide.

“You saved me,” he said softly, looking almost startled.

“Of course I did.” Hux replied. He reached up to gently run a thumb over the scar that bisected Kylo’s face, and felt the other man tense underneath him, a babbled tangle of thoughts burbling up. The easy bits to pick out were  _ fear _ and  _ shame _ and  _ guilt,  _ and Hux exhaled slowly. “How did this happen? How did... _ all of this _ happen?”

“I killed my father,” Kylo said, and his voice was thick with emotion. “Snoke said - I thought - it was supposed to make me stronger.” 

“It didn't.” Hux said, and his voice was gentle. He didn’t really have the space, right then, to turn over what it meant that Snoke had demanded something of Kylo that made him weaker - but Hux doubted it was anything but intentional. For what purpose, he wasn’t quite sure yet - but he would suss it out. He was sure of that.

“Chewie - Chewbacca - Solo’s Wookie,” and watching Kylo have to take three tries to appropriately distance himself broke Hux’s heart, “is the one that shot me. He could have killed me. I think...I think he didn’t because he still saw Ben.” A flurry of memories, then, that Hux had to sift through -  _ young Ben on the Millennium Falcon, learning Shyriiwook and mechanics and a dozen other things from Uncle Chewie. _

“Kylo,” Hux warned softly, “you’re projecting.” In case these weren’t things Kylo intended him to pick up on. Kylo sat up and leaned his head against Hux’s chest.

“I don’t mind you seeing.” He said. “You’re not...angry with me, for failing?” He asked.

“No.” Hux said.  _ I failed too, in a way. I told Phasma to drop the shields. _ Kylo jerked his head up, stared with wide, shocked eyes.  _ I couldn’t have it happen again. I couldn’t destroy another system. _

There was a gentle assent, acceptance - and Hux wrapped his arms around Kylo, holding him close.

“Who did you duel?” The General asked.

“The traitor and the scavenger,” Kylo said. “They beat me.  _ She _ beat me. She gave me that scar.” He sniffed, faintly, like he was on the verge of tears.  _ I’m glad she escaped,  _ the nearly-treasonous thought floated between them.  _ Snoke would have made me hand her over to him for training, and Snoke would break her. _

Hux felt his stomach drop.  _ Snoke wants me to hand  _ **_you_ ** _ back to him. To complete your training. _ He didn’t want to. There was no part of him that wanted to. Especially not when he could feel Kylo’s fear rolling off him in waves. 

“Then I’ll go.” Kylo said. His voice shook, and so did the rest of him, but there was a thread of determination. “Snoke will craft me into something better, something stronger. And when I come back --”

“When you come back,” Hux said, gently, “I’ll be waiting.” Kylo nodded against his chest.

When the  _ Finalizer _ finally settled into orbit around the Supreme Leader’s sanctuary, Snoke demanded that Kylo come down alone, bringing only his command shuttle. Hux was there, in the hangar, to see him off.

He ached to break protocol, to steal one last kiss before Kylo flew off to whatever Snoke had in mind for him. Instead, he took Kylo’s hand and pressed a last, flowing reassurance through their connection.

“I love you,” Hux said quietly, too quietly to be heard by anyone else. Kylo smiled faintly.

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO HERE WE ARE, at the end of our first story! I want to give a very, very sincere thanks to everyone who commented, who encouraged me, and who made this story so much more enjoyable to write!


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